District Improvement Plan 2011-2014 Strategic Objectives, Initiatives & Projects Updated August 2012

Strategic Objective 1: Align curriculum and instruction to the new Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks to improve college and career readiness for all students Strategic Initiatives: Project: Align curriculum to new Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Mathematics. Activity Develop new scope and sequence documents aligned to new math framework for all math courses, grades k-8 Develop course syllabi aligned to new math framework for all math classes, grades 9-12 *Implement new scope and sequence guides (grades k-8) and new course syllabi (grades 9-12) with fidelity. Timeline Completed by January 2012 Persons Responsible Elementary math coach and elementary math committee members, MS math coach and middle school math curriculum committee HS math department chair and high school math curriculum committee Principals and teachers Status-to-date Elementary: Completed Middle School: In process, near completion High School: In progress

Completed by September 2012 September 2012-June 2014

Will begin in September 2012

Ensure coordinated vertical alignment and articulation of math curriculum

October 2011December 2012 -June 2014

Fully implement enVision math curriculum in grades k-5, including new textbooks in grades 4-5 Investigate math curriculum materials and instructional tools (possibly including new textbooks) needed to implement new scope and sequence/syllabi at middle school and high school levels

September 2011Ongoing October 2011December 2012

District-wide math vertical alignment Meetings held between small group of team elementary teachers and middle school teachers and between middle school teachers and high school teachers in 2012. MS/HS meetings also held through MMSI Pre-AP Articulation team will be expanded for SY13 Elementary math teachers Completed Middle school and high school math curriculum committees Review completed in 2012. Led to the purchase of books for 8th grade and the high school. Will revisit this issue during spring 2013. Will begin in September 2012

Implement math curriculum materials and instructional tools (possibly including new textbooks) needed to implement new scope and sequence at middle school and high school levels Provide professional development for teachers on new math framework with opportunities for small group collaboration

Implemented progressively starting September 2012 and fully implemented by June 2014

Middle school and high school math curriculum committees

Superintendent, Title I director, math Began in SY12 and will continue in Professional SY13 and SY14. development days and coaches, math department chair selected curriculum meetings during SY12, SY13, and SY14 Summers 2012, 2013, 2014 (with fall follow up meetings) Superintendent, Title I director, principals 12 teachers trained in July 2012 in addition to 12 teachers trained in 2011. Follow up meetings to occur in 2012.

Send teams of teachers and administrators to relevant DSAC professional development courses

Evaluate current intensive math interventions and make alterations, possibly including computer-based learning opportunities, to improve students number sense skills

Evaluation during SY12, Implement changes starting Sept. 2012

Administrator of special services

Changes to be made at WSMS and WSHS starting September 2012.

Project: Align curriculum to new Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy. Activity Develop new scope and sequence documents aligned to new math framework for all ELA courses, grades k-8 Develop course syllabi aligned to new ELA framework for all ELA classes, grades 9-12 *Implement new scope and sequence guides (grades k-8) and new course syllabi (grades 9-12) with fidelity. Ensure coordinated vertical alignment and articulation of ELA curriculum Timeline Completed by August 2012 Persons Responsible Elementary ELA coach and elementary ELA committee members, MS ELA coach and middle school ELA curriculum committee HS ELA department chair and high school ELA curriculum committee Principals and teachers Status-to-date Elementary: Completed Middle School: In process, near completion High school: in process, near completion Will begin in September 2012

Completed by September 2012 September 2012-June 2014

Investigate ELA core curriculum (possibly including new teaching series) needed to implement new scope and sequence at elementary, middle school and high school levels Implement ELA core curriculum (possibly including new teacher manuals, reading series, and other learning materials) needed to implement new scope and sequence at middle school and high school levels

October 2011-June 2012 District-wide ELA vertical alignment MS/HS meetings also held through team MMSI Pre-AP Articulation team will be expanded for SY13 October 2011-December Elementary, middle school and high Completed at elementary level and school ELA curriculum committees high school level. 2012 Middle school to begin September 2012 Implemented progressively starting September 2012 and fully implemented by June 2014 Elementary, middle school and high school ELA curriculum committees Elementary and high school will implement starting September 2012.

Define effective and continuous system of tiered ELA interventions and implement/refine interventions, with a focus on targeted interventions

Implemented progressively starting September 2013 and fully implemented by June 2014

Elementary, middle school and high school ELA curriculum committees

In progress

Evaluate effectiveness of ELA intensive interventions and make alterations to improve this level of intervention

Evaluation during SY12. Administrator of special services and In progress; changes being made at ELA curriculum committees middle school and high school levels Implemented starting September 2012. progressively starting September 2012 and fully implemented by June 2014 Professional development days and selected curriculum meetings during SY12, SY13, and SY14 Superintendent, Title I Director, ELA Ongoing; PD planned for full coaches, English department chair professional development days and 5 curriculum meetings for SY13.

Provide professional development for teachers on implementing new ELA framework with opportunities for small group collaboration

Provide professional development on reading and writing in the content areas for high school and middle school content area teachers

High school administration, Professional development days SY12, superintendent SY13, SY14, starting with 35 HS teachers in SY12 Superintendent, Title I director, Summers 2012, 2013, 2014 (with fall follow up principals meetings)

Send teams of teachers to relevant DSAC professional development courses

Ongoing; Teaching Persuasive Writing class provided to middle school English teachers; Keys to Literacy: Comprehension Routine offered to HS teachers, MMSI Pre-AP offered to MS and HS teachers Ongoing: Six teachers participated in Reading Informational Text course in August 2012

Project: Increase percentage of high school students graduating in four years with at least 10 fewer students dropping out each year and increase the percentage of students completing MassCore. Activity Determine the curriculum materials, textbooks, and instructional technology needed to help students successfully complete MassCore Implement curriculum materials, textbooks, and instructional technology needed to help students successfully complete MassCore Determine the planning time and training teachers require to help students successfully complete MassCore Implement the planning time and training teachers require to help students successfully complete MassCore Implement MMSI Pre-AP and MMSI AP instruction at WSMS and WSHS, including training teachers and administrators, creating vertical alignment teams, and participating in AP study sessions Implement district-wide drop out prevention task force in order to address students needs as early in their educational career as possible, and create systemic changes and improvements based upon the recommendations of the task force Timeline SY11-12 Persons Responsible High school administration and department chairs High school administration and department chairs Completed. Status-to-date

SY12-14

Implementation of new textbooks (at MS and HS) and instructional technology (at MS) will begin Sept. 2012

SY11-12

High school administration and department chairs

SY12-14

High school administration and department chairs Middle school and high school administrators Ongoing; over 30 teachers currently trained

Incremental with increasing numbers of teachers participating from 2011 to 2014 Starting Sept. 2011 with regular meetings through 2014

Superintendent, task force members Regular meetings held during SY12; new services provided to students (such as increased summer outreach and summer program for at-risk students)

Analyze high school drop out prevention data with high school-based drop out prevention team and make improvements to drop out prevention initiatives (e.g., credit recovery, Reconnecting Youth, etc.) based upon this analysis

Starting Sept. 2011 with regular meetings through 2014

Regular meetings held during SY12; new services provided to students Superintendent, high school (such as increased summer outreach administrators, high school drop out and summer program for at-risk prevention committee students) Implemented; Significant increase in enrollement for SY13.

Implement 21st Century Skills Academy, a new Starting September innovation school, in collaboration with the Lower 2011 and ongoing Pioneer Valley Education Collaborative and through 2014 evaluate effectiveness on ongoing basis

Superintendent, LPVEC executive director, high school administrator, guidance counselor, and 21st CSA program director

Strategic Objective 2: Foster knowledge-driven schools where teachers and administrators engage in self-reflection and collaboratively analyze data to improve instruction on an ongoing basis Strategic Initiatives: Project: Improve understanding and application of quantitative and qualitative data and utilize data analysis to improve instruction. Activity Data on student achievement and/or student growth displayed in every school building Professional learning communities established in each elementary school to examine student work and data to improve instruction *Training on analyzing data as part of the professional learning community process offered to teachers and administrators across the district *Implement Web-based student assessment data program to be used for benchmark assessments in grades k-10 and common mid-term and final assessments in grades 9-10. Data teams meet in each school to analyze school-wide data and develop plans for learning walkthroughs Conduct two learning walkthroughs (minimum) in each school Timeline September 2011-Ongoing September 2011-Ongoing October 2012June 2014 September 2012-June 2014 Persons Responsible Superintendent, principals, department chairs Superintendent, principals Status-to-date Implemented and ongoing Implemented and ongoing.

Superintendent, principals, selected teachers Superintendent, academic coaches and department heads

Will begin in October 2012.

Quarterly each school year, 2011-2014 Twice per year, 2011-2014

Principals

Implemented and ongoing.

Principals, data team

Implemented and ongoing.

*Train up to 25 new teachers on the learning walkthrough process so they can join learning walkthrough teams across the district Administrators engage in professional learning communities with each other to analyze student data and student work samples

Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014 Monthly, 20112014

Superintendent, principals, selected teachers Implemented and ongoing Superintendent, Title I director, administrator of special services and principals

Project:

Implement new statewide educator evaluation framework. Activity Timeline September 2011June 2013 Persons Responsible Status-to-date

Evaluation Implementation Working Group meets to: Review new regulations Develop communication plan to update teachers on new system Investigate and potentially select online resource for system implementation Create plan for implementing new system after collective bargaining Develop professional development plan Assess implementation of plan and suggest alterations, as necessary Enter collective bargaining to develop new teacher evaluation system Provide professional development on new system

Superintendent and Evaluation Completed Implementation Working Group

October 2011-May 2012 August 2012

WSEA and School Committee Completed Superintendent Implemented and ongoing. Training began in spring 2012 and will continue in fall 2012.

*Develop resources (such as recommended videos, templates, and articles) to support teachers with implementation of new educator evaluation system *Provide professional development to teachers on high priority instructional strategies included in new educator evaluation system

September 2012June 2014 September 2012June 2014

Superintendent, principals

Superintendent, principals

Strategic Objective 3 Promote 21st century collaboration, communication, and problem solving skills between and among parents, administrators, teachers, and students to improve learning

Strategic Initiatives: Project: Strengthen climate, conditions, and school culture using results from surveys for decision making and change. Activity Principals and WSEA building representatives meet biannually to discuss priorities and problem solve schoolbased issues Request teachers to complete MA TeLLs survey School-based planning teams (including administrator(s) and WSEA building representatives) review results and plan goals and benchmarks for improvement School-based planning teams review progress towards goals and benchmarks and make alterations to plans Request teachers to complete follow up school climate survey School-based planning teams review results and revise plans, including goals and benchmarks Timeline September 2011 to June 2014 Fall 2011 Winter 2012 Persons Responsible Principals, WSEA building representatives Status-to-date Implemented and ongoing

Superintendent, principals, WSEA Completed when survey became available in 2012 leaders Principals, WSEA building representatives Principals, WSEA building representatives Superintendent, principals Principals, WSEA building representatives To begin in fall 2012 because results were not provided to the district until spring 2012. Will occur in spring 2013.

Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 Fall 2013 Winter 2014

Project:

Increase teachers and administrators utilization of 21st century technologies that promote collaboration and learning.

Activity Provide optional after school training for teachers on technology-related skills Develop site-based plans for specific applications of technologies that support collaboration and learning (such as Google docs, Buzzword, VoiceThread, WikiSpaces, etc.) Convene regular meetings of district-wide Inovation in Teaching and Collaboration team (formerly the Technology Team) to make ongoing recommendations to improve utilization of 21st century technologies Implement SuccessMaker in special education learning center classrooms in each elementary school in order to expand computer-aided instruction for students with disabilities Continue to develop plans for new high school that include relevant and up-to-date technologies for teaching and learning

Timeline School year 20112012 and ongoing as needed School year 20112012 and ongoing through 2014 School year 20112012 and ongoing through 2014 Fall 2011

Persons Responsible

Status-to-date

Education technology coordinator, Implemented and ongoing instructional network administrator Principals, teachers Ongoing

Education technology coordinator, Implemented and ongoing instructional network administrator, superintendent Administrator of special services Implemented and ongling

Ongoing through 2014

Superintendent, acting assistant superintendent, high school principal, Planning and Construction Committee

Ongoing; model classroom to be created in current high school by the start of SY13.

Project:

Continue implementation of bullying prevention and intervention plan.

Activity Convene regular meetings of district-wide bully prevention task force to make ongoing recommendations to improve bullying prevention and intervention plan Provide professional development on bullying prevention techniques to staff members as needed Implement student-led anti-bullying program at secondary level Analyze data from bullying incident reports and make recommendations for improving supports and services

Timeline School year 2011-2012 and ongoing through 2014 School year 2011-2012 and ongoing through 2014 September 2012-June 2014 Ongoing 2011-2014 with regular updates to school committee

Persons Responsible Superintendent, bullying prevention task force

Status-to-date Implemented and ongoing

Bullying prevention professional Implemented and ongoing development team High school administration Superintendent Implemented and ongoing

Leok/district and school improvement plans/Strategic Objectives to date 4-9-12