Chap 3 A: Organization: Vision and Purpose, Governance, Leadership, Staff, and Resources 

 A1. Vision and Purpose - To what extent a) does the school have a clearly stated vision and mission (purpose) based on its student needs, current educational research, including equity, diversity, and inclusion, the district Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), and the belief that all students can achieve at high academic levels and b) is the school's purpose supported by the governing board and the district LCAP further defined by schoolwide learner outcomes and the academic standards?

• In the fall of 2021 EHS staff began the process of examining our mission and vision. This process involved first examining the different versions of the mission and vision that existed in various locations (Previous WASC, School Website, and SARC report). Our mission and vision was combined into one statement but also led to the creation of Schoolwide Learner Outcomes.

  • Esparto High School prepares students to contribute to their futures in positive and meaningful ways by providing a rigorous, safe and nurturing environment.

• Through the revision of our mission and vision we also focused on Schoolwide Learner Outcomes which were revised from the EHS previous ESLRs. The goal of this document was to think about what we wanted students to be when they graduate from Esparto High School. Both the mission and schoolwide learner outcomes were crafted through the PLC process with staff but also using data from the California Healthy Kids Survey and School Climate Survey administered by EHS in the fall of 2021. 

  • Schoolwide Learner Outcomes - SPARTANS ARE …

  • RESPONSIBLE

  • Life Long Learners

  • Be Resilient in Light of Challenges

  • Demonstrate Critical and Analytical Thinking 

  • Develop Healthy Habits and Coping Strategies

• KIND

• Empathetic to Others

• Show Integrity in All That They Do

• Work Collaboratively and Understand Everyone Has Value

• RESPECTFUL

• Positively Engaged

• Effectively Communicate (Written and Orally)

• Build Relationships with Their Community

• While there is no school site council there are other opportunities for important stakeholders to demonstrate understanding of our core beliefs. Our district LCAP process partners with multiple stakeholder groups to drive our district plan for growth n the areas of: 

  • Establish Conditions of Learning to maintain facilities, retain staff, implement standards, and offer broad course access.

  • Raise student achievement across the curriculum.

  • Actively engage parents and students to promote school attendance, a positive climate, and involvement in the school community.

• Our core beliefs are also communicated in our partnerships with our CTE programs and advisories. This includes community events that we are a part of such as the Almond Festival, Christmas Tree Lighting, and Career Night at the Elementary.

 A2. Governance - To what extent does the governing board a) have policies and bylaws that are aligned with the school's purpose to support the achievement of the schoolwide learner outcomes, academic standards, and college- and career-readiness standards based on data-driven instructional decisions for the school; b) delegate implementation of these policies to the professional staff; and c) monitor results regularly and approve the schoolwide action plan/SPSA and its relationship to the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)?

• Esparto Unified School District has established and approved policies and bylaws that are revisited and revised on a regular basis in order to best support students. This also involves changes at the state level that impact our sites. For example, this year our counselor has worked tirelessly to ensure we meet the state requirement that all graduating seniors complete the financial aid documents (FAFSA or Dream Act).  The district leadership team meets weekly to discuss those impacts and discuss the communication that should happen to stakeholders. For instance this year the administrative team has consistently communicated our focus on school safety and substance abuse.

• Esparto High School has a student board member who participates in school board meetings and provides reports, updates, and celebrations to the board and community about Esparto. The student board member also meets with the principal to discuss those celebrations and important activities and events going on at EHS.  This gives an opportunity to empower the student voice and communicate to our school board the wonderful things happening at Esparto High School. 

• The site principal has communicated the Esparto Unified School District's Uniform Complaint Procedures. The procedures are also publicly posted on campus for the community and staff as well. The current site principal has worked to resolve concerns that parents may have to avoid having to file a uniform complaint. Currently, no uniform complaints have been filed to this point for the 2022-2023 school year

 A3. Leadership: Data- Informed Decision- Making and Continuous School Improvement - a) To what extent based on multiple sources of data, does the school leadership, parent/community, and staff make decisions and initiate activities that focus on all students achieving the schoolwide learner outcomes, academic standards, and college- and career-readiness standards? b) To what extent do the school leadership and staff annually monitor and refine the schoolwide action plan/SPSA and make recommendations to modify the LCAP as needed?

• At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year EHS and EUSD changed a major component to our schedule and meeting time. Previously, we only had one minimum day a month that was used as professional development time.  Now, we have early release days every Wednesday in which we are able to have professional development and schoolwide learner outcomes discussion more frequently.  EHS is a small school site with only about 270 students, 15 teachers, and 6 classified staff. Because of this small school learning environment all members are asked to engage and participate in inclusive, collaborative planning, professional learning, and professional learning communities to determine student needs, collaboratively determine and implement strategies and actions, and monitor results and impact on student success. For example, starting in the spring of 2022, staff analyzed data and discussed the benefit of moving to a modified block schedule. This decision involved not only our school but the middle school as well for various reasons. EHS moved to a modified block schedule this 2022-2023 school year. Another important change to our school and staff improvement collaboration time was a pedagogical shift to working as a professional learning community. The staff is still in its beginning stages of an actual PLC though.  The site PLC created collective commitments to commit to for the year. This structure has also led to important smart goals and focused on the important question, What do we want our students to learn? Through the WASC and PLC process it is also driven by our time together to be focused on conversations through data. The data driven discussions have focused the staff on moving forward by focusing on goals that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely). 

• This year our staff moved a PLC structure for professional development time this year. This change has meant that we have more discussions based on data. Within our district leadership council, our site leadership team, and our weekly staff professional development we are being guided by the 4 PLC questions, our previous WASC goals, and LCAP. So much so that at the bottom of our agenda there is a checklist for these elements. We check the areas that the meeting attempted to address. The stakeholders understand there are significant needs to support students, but agree that a focused plan to address key areas from student learning data is necessary to support students in areas of academics, instructional practices, college and career readiness, and student social emotional success.

• As previously mentioned, with EHS being a small learning community, shared decision-making, responsibility, and self-reflection take place consistently among all staff members. All teachers participate in a school-wide PLC on a weekly basis. As mentioned, the PLC is in its early stages but is eager to implement the engaging performance tasks and use these to determine student learning to help gauge instructional practices. Staff reflect through conversations during PLC time and by analyzing and reflecting on student data which includes assessments, social emotional learning, and support. Staff serve on a variety of different teams in addition to the PLC and Student Support Meetings. This includes the site PBIS team (currently implementing Tier 1 and 2),  and district committees and teams like our district ILC, curriculum council, and safety committee. 

 A4. Staff: Qualified and Professional Development - To what extent do qualified staff and leadership facilitate achievement of the student academic standards and the schoolwide learner outcomes through a system of preparation, induction, and ongoing professional development? To what extent is there a systematic approach to continuous improvement through professional development based on student performance data, student needs, and research?

• Each Certificated FTE is properly credentialed to teach the classes they are assigned. New hire certificated staff are provided with one-on-one support through the Induction program as well as weekly opportunities for professional learning. Because at EHS we are a small learning community certificated and classified staff are asked to “wear many hats”. Staff work on various site teams to improve student outcomes. This includes the PBIS teams (Tier 1 and 2), Instructional Leadership Committee, CTE Advisory, and Curriculum Council. The staff is composed of both veteran and new staff committed to the school's mission, vision, and schoolwide learner outcomes. The staff works together to support each other in the areas of student support, institutional knowledge, and instructional practices. Additionally, the school principal also started in the role at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. Consistently through transparency and honest discussions EHS staff is confident that the entire staff in place is the right team to continue building school culture and achieving the school's mission, vision, and schoolwide learner outcomes.

• EHS offers a wide range of professional development and learning for all staff. Professional learning time is embedded weekly on Wednesdays for staff. Professional Learning includes opportunities to analyze student data around common assessments, support students' academic, social-emotional, and attendance, success, and around instructional strategies. Professional learning is led by teachers on site, the school principal, and/or district support staff. In addition to site-designed and facilitated professional development and learning, EUSD has many teachers on special assignment including literacy coaches, a math specialist, and special education mentors that are available to provide training and support both individually and as a school site. The CTE department and teachers are an area in which you can see consistent participation in professional development. 

• EHS has a number of processes in place to assess the measurable effect of professional development and learning on teacher practice and the impact it has on student performance. This year Math, English, and SPED teachers have begun using the Renaissance to assess student learning. The staff administers these assessments on a quarterly basis. The data points and information is just one component of data that is used to guide our instructional practices and student support. This information along with academic progress also informs the Tier 2 MTSS team and how we can support students through the SST process. This practice has been of primary focus to staff this year as we now have the opportunity to meet weekly and are guided by the PLC model. Classified staff are also invited to attend and participate in all professional learning offered by EHS which is largely taken advantage of as a result of attendance. The involvement of front office staff and paraeducators was a key component in our revision of our mission and schoolwide learner outcomes. The EHS do believe however that more can be done to have more focused training opportunities.  A difficulty in that of course is balancing the many hats that all staff wear and finding the time to have all important stakeholders in attendance. District leadership is also working on revising common tools for classroom walkthroughs and learning walks to measure the effect of professional development and student learning and performance. This is a process that existed in the past and will involve teacher feedback. 

 A5. Resources - To what extent are the human, material, physical, and financial resources sufficient and utilized effectively and appropriately in accordance with the legal intent of the program(s) and LCAP to support students in accomplishing the schoolwide learner outcomes, academic standards, and the college- and career-readiness standards?

• Because EHS does not have a school site council they use groups like district leadership team, site leadership, and the LCAP process to have discussions about decisions about resource allocations. The school principal works with district superintendent and CBO to discuss resource allocation and to ensure allocations are being spent correctly and planning the resource allocation process.  This is especially important in the area of CTE where the district has acquired many grants in the last couple of years. There are various engagement sessions and meetings throughout the year for parents and community to participate in resource allocation like LCAP feedback. Also EUSD's English Language Advisory Committee plays a role in site and district resource allocation as well. Due to the unique size and engaged staff, staff participate in a number of different ways around resource allocation. Other stakeholders including students, parents, community members, and EUSD officials do as well. However, parental and community engagement is an area that EHS recognizes needs to improve. Although parents are engaged it is a small group that consistently participates and EHS would like to continue engaging parents in a variety of ways in the resource allocation decisions as well. This is in due part why the district created the positions of Director and Coordinator of Community Schools to better engage parents and other stakeholders. 

• EUSD has strong and systemic processes and practices in place for developing an annual budget, conducting an annual audit, and at all times conducting quality business and accounting practices. Because of our district's small size and the location of the district office our CBO and Business Services have an opportunity to meet and discuss on an as-needed basis to review resources and discuss planning of future allocations. EUSD's Business Services communicate compliance and accountability, and fiscal updates to each site and district-wide opportunities for all stakeholders to participate in resource allocation for example through LCAP planning.  District officials and personnel are in positions to ensure an annual audit and conduct quality business and accounting practices at all times and provide regular support as needed to each school site in the district. 

• EUSD has a Curriculum Council in place to help in the process of acquiring, maintaining, and monitoring adequate instructional materials and equipment to support the EUSD School Board in making decisions about curriculum adoptions. EHS used the process when creating an initial CTE pathway course in the field of Early Child Education. The EHS principal oversees the Curriculum Council with all three school sites of EUSD having representation by administration and staff. Teachers are empowered to identify curriculum and textbooks that will best support students. Over the last 3 years EUSD district staff have worked tirelessly to update our once dated textbook offering. District support staff and site teachers work to make informed decisions and continue to work together in the evaluation process. This can be seen in the adoption of our Renaissance Learning system that was implemented from grades K to 12. While small Education and Support Services are supportive of site and district leadership teams in this process. Additionally, with the onset of the pandemic there was a growing need for instructional technology. During the pandemic there was a Technology Team and part of their goal was to create processes and systems to identify instructional technology that would best support instruction and student learning. This team has not met much since the return of school but teacher technological recourse is an area that has been identified as being important in regards to professional development.