Adams-Friendship High School Strategic Plan 2012-2019 AFHS will be the highest performing high school in the State of Wisconsin by 2019! Framework of Research and Learning Priorities
AFASD Mission Statement: The Adams-Friendship Area Schools, in cooperation with family and community, will educate and empower every student to be a life-long learner and contributing citizen by creating a safe, respectful environment and delivering a comprehensive educational approach designed to meet individual needs.
AFHS Vision Statement: AFHS will be the highest achieving high school in the State of Wisconsin!
School Goals: We, the staff of the Adams-Friendship High school will assure that students exceed their performance on the WKCE from 8th to 10th grade.
We the staff of the Adams-Friendship High School will assure that student attendance improves by 10% during the 2012-13 school year.
Profile: AFHS is a 9‐12 grade building of about 500 students. AFHS rests in a main street rural community setting along with one middle school and three elementary buildings. Our high school serves our “community” and is open at various hours of the day supporting community engagement within our various building amenities. Our current academic reality reflects our sense of urgency and advances our internal drive to recreate achievement possibilities in our school. Our most reliable achievement data can be found in our AFHS 7‐year Data Dashboard. Our certified faculty, paraeducators, cooks, custodians and administrative assistants are all internal contributors to our vision of becoming the highest achieving high school in the State of Wisconsin by 2019! Our external community contributors take pride in the accomplishments of our students and school. Businesses, individuals, and civic organizations continue to demonstrate support our school initiatives. Guiding Beliefs: o Everyone is a leader! What we say, do and prioritize matters. Our students are watching! o We are part of a “Work Hard, Be Nice” school community! o Our school will be managed by results not by programs or traditions! o We hold an obsessive insistence on creating a culture of high performance and expectations! o Every student not only “can” learn but “will” learn! No Excuses! o Every student is talented and has untapped potential! o We hold a “Can Do” attitude and share our enthusiasm with our entire school community! o We trust our parents and students! o We are preparing our students for a future that we cannot clearly define! o We nurture student preferences regarding various learning modalities!
References: DuFour, Richard, et. al. Learning By Doing. Bloomington: Solution Tree Press, 2006. Fullan, Michael. "Choosing the wrong drivers for whole system reform." Seminar Series204, 2011. Centre for Strategic Education, East Melbourne, VIC. Gonzalez, Laurence. Everyday Survival: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. Marzano, Robert, et. al. Classroom Instruction That Works. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001. Marzano, Robert. What Works In Schools: Translating Research Into Action. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003. Reeves, Douglas B.. High Performance in High Poverty Schools: 90/90/90 and Beyond. Center for Performance and Assessment, 2003. Warlick, David F. Redefining Literacy 2.0. Columbus: Linworth Publishing, Inc., 2009.
Strategy #1: Maintain a Focus on Increasing Student Achievement School Improvement Innovation Objective 1: AFHS will increase student performance on standardized assessments by applying a rigorous academic curriculum. Monitoring Metrics: 1. MAP Data: a. Percentage of students improving (fall to spring) b. Percentage of students at grade level: meeting end of year RIT norms 2. WKCE Data: a. Percentage of students proficient and advanced in each subject area b. Percentage of students improving level of proficiency from 8th grade 3. AP Data: a. Number of students taking exam b. Percentage of tested students receiving a 3 or higher 4. ACT Data: a. Percentage of students receiving a 22 composite score or higher b. Average composite score of students taking the exam 5. PLAN Data: a. Percentage of students performing at grade level: meeting college and career readiness benchmarks b. Percentage of students increasing composite score from EXPLORE Action Steps: o Increase participation and performance on Advanced Placement (AP) assessments o Increase participation and performance on ACT assessment o Increase number of students at or above grade level on MAP (9th grade), PLAN (10th grade) and WKCE (10th grade) assessments
o Increase number of students who show growth on MAP (9th grade), PLAN (10th grade) and WKCE (10th grade) assessments o Create, implement, analyze a systemic school‐wide intervention system: Implement PLATO as intervention online curriculum software option Develop Building Assistance Team (BAT) policies and procedures Create a plan for the use of data for English and math intervention Create a plan for the use of data for science and social studies intervention Create a plan for the use of data for all subject area interventions (required courses) Review Extended Learning Time (ELT) structures (purpose, data use, options for systematic improvement) Review homeroom structures (purpose, data use, options) Re‐focus the topics to include comprehensive counseling model needs (outlined in counseling action plan) Create a systematic way to review MAP scores prior to spring assessment Organizational Development Objective 2: AFHS will increase human resources through leadership development of school community stakeholders and through effective professional development of our staff. Monitoring Metrics: 1. Participation at Parent teacher conference: Number of parents attending 2. Achievement of Department Team goals 3. Participation at steering and advisory committee meetings: Number of people attending (5% of population) Action Steps: o Develop Department Team Goals to include: Develop SMART goal(s) that prioritizes student achievement Create an action plan Develop metrics of formative progress and summative evaluation Strong alignment of SMART goal(s) to school‐wide strategic plan o Recruit the top talent into our school o Measure teacher efficacy in and outside the classroom o Conduct regular classroom walkthroughs o Sustain and develop the School Improvement Team (SIT)leadership structure o Prioritize school resources for professional development around action steps in strategic plan
School Culture Objective 3: AFHS will increase social capital/collaborative processes by nurturing a respectful high performance environment around student behavior and academic performance. Monitoring Metrics: 1. Disciplinary referrals and attendance data: Percentage of students receiving referrals, number of students with 5 or more unexcused absences 2. Number of honor roll students: Number of students achieving honor roll status 3. Assessment Data: see Objective 1
Action Steps: o Celebration Priority: communicate by conveying ideas and values that align with school’s vision and to show appreciation and admiration for those contributing to meeting the school’s vision DATA Celebration: Improved Scores for every student Academic Hall of Fame Student of the Month Review Honor Roll Recognition o Increase student and staff engagement (see Strategy #6) o Create purposeful organized learning spaces for faculty and students that encourage thinking and learning o Create school structures that symbolize and expect high levels of respect and responsibility Develop and communicate bully‐free policy and procedures Develop and adhere to staff norms Review and adhere to student norms (Green Book)
Strategy #2 Implement School Wide, Department and Classroom Curriculum Choices Program Improvement Innovation College and Career Readiness includes higher‐order thinking skills (critical thinking and reasoning, problem‐solving, communication, collaboration, digitally based learning and citizenship)
Objective 4: AFHS will nurture every student’s individual talents and prepare him/her for postsecondary option(s) by ensuring each student is equipped with college and career readiness skills. Monitoring Metrics: 4. Beginning with Class of 2015: Percentage of students admitted to a post‐secondary option 5. Beginning with Class of 2015: Percentage of students take post‐secondary placement assessments (ACT, Accuplacer, Compass, ASVAB) 6. Number of students entering college, completing college, needing remedial placement/support first year in college Action Steps: o Conduct department work around incorporating College and Career Readiness Standards in their curriculum with an emphasis on “collaboration” and a priority around “individualized instruction.” English, Math, Social Studies, Science Summer Work CTE Disciplinary Literacy Work Elective course Focus on Literacy Development o Develop advanced course options: (advanced placement, transcription, articulation)and provide professional development opportunities o Design course placement criteria using student achievement data on standardized assessments o Create a systemic priority around collaboration/group effectiveness strategies for classroom and faculty teams o Create a systemic full‐credit and standards‐based intervention system for all required courses o Create systemic priority around post‐secondary planning initiatives:
Career Academy Counseling Plan of Intervention (action plan)
Objective 5: AFHS will infuse technology in the school and classroom as a tool of communication, engagement, differentiation, and intervention. Monitoring Metrics: 7. Computer use analysis 8. Learning Center/library check out data (Nooks, Kindles, iPads, lap tops) 9. Classroom Walkthroughs Action Steps: o Implement iPad applications and video tools as a source of academic intervention o Create classroom platforms to share what teachers are teaching, how they are teaching it, what students are learning and how they are learning it (Moodle, WIKIs, Blogs, Websites, etc.) o Create a MAC lab to be used for the development of performance assessments (video, music, etc.) o Align all school practices/protocol around appropriate use of personal information devices o Implement technology for students to fluently express ideas using text, images, sound, video and animation o Implement digital information/content as an integral component classroom instruction o Implement a digital method for turning in classroom homework/assignments (e‐mail, disk, Web drop box, etc.
Strategy #3 Conduct Frequent Assessment of Student Progress While Providing Students With Various Opportunities for Improvement Balanced Assessment Objective 6: AFHS will implement a balanced, accurate assessment system that will inform the decisions of teachers and students to motivate all learners. Monitoring Metrics: 1. Student survey around implementation of balanced assessment practices 2. Staff survey around implementation of balanced assessment practices 3. Classroom Walkthroughs Action Steps: o Implement the seven strategies of effective formative practices: Where Am I Going? Strategy 1: Provide students with a clear and understandable vision of the unit‐level learning goal. Strategy 2: Use examples and models of strong and weak work. Where Am I Now? Strategy 3: Offer regular descriptive feedback. Strategy 4: Teach students to self‐assess and set goals. How Can I Close the Gap?
Strategy 5: Design lessons to focus on one learning target or aspect of quality at a time. Strategy 6: Teach students focused revision. Strategy 7: Engage students in self‐reflection and let them keep track of and share their learning. o Create quality assessments (formative, benchmark and summative): defined within each content area o Create Common Benchmark Assessments Display Student Work and Monitor Data Objective 7: AFHS will systemically display and communicate student data in classrooms and within the school to model the importance of student progress and achievement. Monitoring Metrics: 1. Faculty engage students and parents/guardians in conversations around EXPLORE, PLAN, MAP results 2. Visible student data in classrooms and around school 3. Classroom Walkthroughs Action Steps: o Display 7‐year student data points in faculty/staff learning center o Create end‐of‐year summative progress report cards for public transparency o Develop and share strategies for displaying student data in classrooms and around school o Create podcasts and videos for the school website that showcase student and teacher productions
Strategy #4
All Subject‐Areas Focus Non‐Fiction Reading and Writing Non-Fiction Reading Objective 8: AFHS will know our students as readers and thinkers while incorporating strategies that develop their reading needs within all subject areas. Monitoring Metric: 1. Varied text levels used to align independent reading levels with subject‐specific text 2. Classroom Walkthroughs Action Steps: o Identify independent reading levels of all 9th grade students o Review technological tools that could create efficiencies in identifying various text levels in all subject areas o Vary text to match individual student’s lexile levels o Identify academic vocabulary around grade level complex texts in all subject‐areas o Develop systemic reading strategies: Summarization Identify main ideas and provide supporting evidence Expose meaning and value from the information encountered Pre‐during‐post reading strategies
Non-Fiction Writing Objective 9: AFHS will know our students as writers and thinkers while incorporating strategies that develop their writing needs within all subject areas. Monitoring Metric: 1. Common writing benchmark assessments in all subject‐areas/grade level 2. Common writing rubric used in al subject‐areas 3. Classroom Walkthroughs Action Steps: o Develop systemic writing strategies: o Note taking/summarization o Students can use evidence in text to inform or make an argument o Faculty use written responses on assessments to monitor student thinking o Develop systemic school‐wide writing rubric to be used on written responses in all subject areas o Collectively (within and between departments) score written responses o Use coaching model to increase individual efficacy (English teachers working with others to develop evaluation skills) o Explore the idea of a district writing standard used as a graduation requirement
Strategy #5 Collaborative Scoring of Student Work Professional Learning Community Objective 10: AFHS will increase our collective capacity by identifying and communicating intended achievement results using goals, plans and monitoring metrics across the school. Monitoring Metric: 1. Utilize the “Professional Learning Communities at Work Continuum: Effective Communication (pg.48 Learning by Doing) 2. Department Team progress reports Action Steps:
o Continue to incorporate professional learning community philosophy into all that the school does (define shared outcomes, develop shared action steps, collectively monitor progress, evaluate results, collectively reflect on efforts, decide what’s next) o Implement professional learning community structures (department , faculty and leadership teams)
Strategy #6 Stakeholder Engagement Communication Objective 11: AFHS will provide total transparency of results and practices at the classroom and school level while ensuring feedback loops around our improvement efforts.
Monitoring Metric: 1. Parent/community communication audit fall parent teacher conferences 2. Senior survey 3. Parent/guardian participation at parent teacher conferences 4. Community participation as AFHS Achievement Partners Action Steps: o Identify communication needs through a communication audit (students, parents, staff, community) o Provide conflict resolution/strategy development for staff o Create a school‐wide communication plan (modalities, frequency, purpose) o Implement Everyone’s A Leader initiative to promote engagement by entire school community: Create Leadership Tree to be painted in main hallway that symbolizes the collaboration of our entire school community in meeting our vision Community/Business Partners (letter of support/options) Utilize focus groups around specific topics of organizational development o Increase student engagement and satisfaction Implement a student survey to examine current attitudes (ENGAGE) = Grade? Create a school‐specific senior exit survey (review and modify current survey) Implement a student advisory group Increase participation in extra/co‐curricular activities Create a school‐specific survey tool that allows students to provide feedback to teachers around balanced assessment practices and non‐fiction writing Nurture opportunities for students to use the Learning Center before and after school o Increase parent/guardian engagement and satisfaction Recreate the parent teachers conference experience to include learning opportunities Parent/guardian advisory group o Increase community engagement and satisfaction Identify Learning Center events for our external stakeholders Implement a community advisory group Implement “Achievement Partner” program/Tree of Achievement o Increase staff engagement and satisfaction Implement a consistent use of the “shared decision‐making process” Utilize various leadership teams as decision‐making structures of the school