Strategic Plan

Refresh: 2025 & Beyond

During the 2015-16 school year our district engaged students, staff, and community in a series of listening activities with the goal of updating a strategic plan focused on the year 2020 and beyond. Stakeholders shared about their experiences in our district and their hopes for the future. The feedback collected was organized into three themes caring, quality and growth. As we enter the 2019-20 school year, we are entering our next cycle of strategic planning. We began by asking some important questions to our students, community and staff.

Why public education?

Staff

What experiences do students need so they can continue on as lifelong learners and positively contribute to the world beyond our school district?

Our Plan

1. Review Mission, Vision, Values, Beliefs, and Goals

The Citizens Advisory Committee revisited past mission and vision statements and a focus committee drafted updated versions for review by the larger committee, and after several iterations arrived at these statements.

Seeing and Serving EACH Student

Draft Mission

To inspire our students to discover the joy of learning, demonstrate respect for one another’s humanity and achieve their individual potential by empowering them with critical-thinking and collaborative problem-solving skills essential for lifelong success.

Draft Vision

Each student will feel valued and respected, and will learn and thrive as they create their future world. Our staff will be known for educational excellence, making a positive and lasting difference in the lives of our students and their families. Our students will be independent and motivated, compassionate, ethical and contributing members of society.

2. Prioritize Student Experiences

What is it that we want each student to experience in our school district?

During the 2019-2020 school year, members of the Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) were tasked with drafting key themes and ideas to inform the district's strategic vision. Three groups were formed, elementary, middle and high school to explore the developmentally appropriate needs and aspirations for each level. Through a combination of whole group and level specific meetings, themes emerged in the areas of student engagement, academics and social emotional learning.

Elementary School Draft Considerations - CAC 2020

After working with CAC members focused on elementary learning this year, as well as analyzing the survey results during our remote learning experience, certain themes have emerged for the future direction of elementary education. Three specific areas emerged: 1) student engagement, 2) social-emotional learning and 3) academic learning. Within these three identified areas, CAC members defined specific themes that would positively influence future outcomes for our students.

Related to student engagement, CAC members indicated the importance of students demonstrating agency by setting and monitoring goals, as well as persisting with challenging tasks.
For the area of social-emotional learning, CAC members elevated the following areas for focus work as a system: students being able to identify and name emotions that influence their behavior, and how to regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that are different than their own.
In the third area, academic learning, CAC members prioritized students acquiring and demonstrating grade-level standards in ELA, math, and science. CAC members also indicated that students should be fluent in the use of creative, problem-solving skills and critical thinking.

The vision and strategic plan at the elementary level will continue to build upon the three areas of student engagement, social-emotional learning, and academic learning. This will provide the necessary focus to ensure that we see and serve each student in the Camas School District.

Priority Student Experiences

Student Engagement

Each student demonstrates agency in learning by formulating and asking questions.
Each student demonstrates agency in learning by setting and monitoring their own goals
Each student demonstrates agency in learning by working well with others

Social Emotional

Students have the ability to identify and name their emotions and how they influence behavior.
Students develop and demonstrate the ability to regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in contexts with people different than themselves.
Students have the ability to motivate themselves, persevere, and see themselves as capable.

Academics

Each student demonstrates literacy through attainment of grade level standards (content and practices) in ELA, Math and Science/Engineering.
Each student demonstrates global thinking dispositions which include: a disposition to understand multiple perspectives.
Each student has the ability to adapt and demonstrate flexibility to changing conditions.
Each student continues to develop a curiosity about the world.
Each student continues to develop a disposition toward respectful dialog.

Middle School Draft Considerations - CAC 2020

In considering both the CAC middle school team priorities and the ratings provided on the subsequence survey, some common themes emerged, along with a few differences.

In terms of student engagement, participants and respondents both noted the value of students feeling safe and confident to be vulnerable and take risks in own learning. This item pointed to instruction and practices that are culturally responsive, equitable, and trauma-informed. Survey respondents, in particular, also rated student agency as a priority; and both groups prioritized students discovering their passion and having tools to maximize their potential. While the survey did not reveal a high priority on community service or volunteer work, this was a strong priority for the CAC middle school team.
In terms of social emotional learning, clear priorities emerged from the survey results. They include: students have the ability to motivate themselves, persevere, and see themselves as capable; students develop and demonstrate the ability to regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in contexts with people different than themselves; and students have the ability to consider others and a desire to contribute to the well-being of school and community. No clear priorities emerged from the CAC middle school team in this area - except for a plea to think differently about the meaning behind helping students regulate their emotions, and instead focus on experiences that help all of us to understand difference.
In the area of academic learning a priority that emerged from both the CAC middle school team and survey responses was "Each student demonstrates fluent use of creativity, problem solving and critical thinking." Additional survey priorities included, "Each student demonstrates literacy through attainment of grade level standards (content and practices) in ELA, Math and Science/Engineering" and "Each student has the ability to adapt and demonstrate flexibility to changing conditions." The most highly rated priority of the CAC middle school team was to provide access to world languages for every middle school student.

Prioritized Student Experiences

Student Engagement

Each student feels safe and confident to be vulnerable and take risks in own learning.
Each student demonstrates agency in learning by formulating and asking questions.
Each student demonstrates agency in learning by advocating for themselves in ways that support their learning.

Social Emotional

Students develop and demonstrate the abiltiy to regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in contexts with people different than themselves.
Students have the ability to motivate themselves, persevere, and see themselves as capable.
Students have the ability to consider others and a desire to contribute to the well-being of school and community.

Academics

Each student demonstrates literacy through attainment of grade level standards (content and practices) in ELA, Math and Science/Engineering.
Each student demonstrates fluent use of creativity, problem solving and critical thinking.
Each student has the ability to adapt and demonstrate flexibility to changing conditions.
Each student has the ability to adapt and demonstrate flexibility to changing conditions.
Each student continues to develop a curiosity about the world to better understand multiple perspectives.
Each student continues to develop a disposition toward respectful dialog.

High School Draft Considerations - CAC 2020

- Student engagement. Many of the areas relating to student engagement resonated with CAC in discussions and among the survey respondents. Most notably, a student's ability to advocate for themselves in ways to support their learning rose to the top. This compliments the second highest rated criteria of a student's ability to formulate an ask questions followed by the third being a student's ability to set and monitor their own goals.
- Social emotional learning. Our discussions centered on how important it is for students to have a healthy self image and to work well with others. For this area, survey respondents prioritized the students having the ability to motivate themselves, persevere and see themselves as capable. This aligns directly with the district work to create the conditions for expert learners who feel seen and valued in the school setting.
- Academic learning. Our team established that meeting and exceeding grade level standards is the baseline. Assuming students continue to meet and exceed academic outcomes, respondents prioritized the need for a student's fluent use of creativity, problem solving and critical thinking. This priority was followed closely by the ability to adapt and demonstrate flexibility in changing conditions.

Prioritized Student Experiences

Student Engagement

Each student demonstrates agency in learning by setting and monitoring goals.
Each student demonstrates agency in learning by advocating for themselves in ways that support their learning.

Social Emotional

Students develop and demonstrate the ability to regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in contexts with people different than themselves.
Students have the ability to motivate themselves, persevere, and see themselves as capable.
Students have the ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Academics

Each student demonstrates literacy through attainment of grade level standards (content and practices) in ELA, Math and Science/Engineering.
Each student demonstrates fluent use of creativity, problem solving and critical thinking.
Each student has the ability to adapt and demonstrate flexibility to changing conditions.
Each student continues to develop a curiosity about the world to better understand multiple perspectives.

3. Prioritize Student Outcomes

What are our hopes for EACH student?

Our students are: problem solvers, explorers, helpers, scientists, mathematicians, writers, ....

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