Saydel Strategic Plan

3.1 Instructional excellence: Excellent instruction is the foundation for school improvement. We are working to build a culture of trust and supportive relationships that lead to teacher growth and sustained student learning gains with a focus on student ownership. We meet students and staff where they are, then work collectively to achieve results.

NIET Teaching and Learning Standards

• Research-based rubric clearly defines effective teaching and supports teachers in refining their craft. 

• Fosters collaboration around a common language and vision that correlates with student achievement.

• Connect what to teach with how to facilitate learning

• Ongoing training, mentoring, and classroom support during the school day to help teachers meet these standards

Instructionally Focused Accountability

• Observations with actionable feedback 

• Identify the instructional needs of teachers and students

Meaningful goal-setting with a focus on student outcomes 

• School Plan

• IGP

Support provided at all levels to meet those goals

• Coaching support to meet the needs of teachers and students

Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum (GVC)

• Implementing a "high-quality" curriculum aligned to rigorous state standards leads to notable student learning gains. 

• A guaranteed and viable curriculum: 

  1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Gives all students access to the same essential learning outcomes regardless of who is teaching the course

              2. Can be taught in the time allotted.

• Clarity around what all students must know and be able to do

• High-quality curriculum matters and is most effective when paired with high-quality instruction.

• Leaders will dig deeply into their implementation and how they support educators.

• We will use Standards Based Learning to communicate student learning.

3.2 Collaborative learning: Peer-to-peer learning unlocks new insights, encourages teachers to share best practices, and fosters collegiality. We create collaborative structures and environments, including professional learning communities and cluster. We develop teacher leaders into instructional coaches to grow their colleagues' skills and create strategies for success.

Cluster Cycles

• • • Ongoing, job-embedded, collaborative, student-centered, and led by expert instructors 

    • Time to meet, learn, plan, mentor, and share with peers

    • Professional learning is based on a five-step cycle

      1. 1. identifying a problem or need that is clear and specific and can be measured in student work or outcomes

         2. obtaining new learning aligned with this student's need that has proven successful in the school in leading to student growth

         3. developing new teacher learning by teaching a strategy to address a student's need, with precise modeling, and subsequent analysis of student work

         4. applying the new teacher learning in the classroom with support from teacher leaders

         5. evaluating the impact of the strategy on student performance using formative assessment

    • Focused on the individual needs of teachers and students, determined by data and student work

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

• • • Collaboration using the four questions

    • Collaborate on strategies for how to most effectively utilize the curriculum and teach in a way that helps students acquire the depth of knowledge asked for by state academic standards.

    • Focus on learning by each and every student

    • Collective Inquiry Into Best Practice and Current Reality

    • Members of PLCs are action-oriented: They move quickly to turn aspirations into action and visions into reality

    • Commitment to Continuous Improvement:

      1. 1. Gathering evidence of current levels of student learning

         2. Developing strategies and ideas to build on strengths and address weaknesses in that learning

         3.  Implementing those strategies and ideas

         4. Analyzing the impact of the changes to discover what was effective and what was not

         5. Applying new knowledge in the next cycle of continuous improvement

    • Efforts are assessed based on results rather than intentions

3.3 Shared leadership: Building school leadership teams around a shared vision

Strong leadership and a shared vision are critical to success. Our Instructional Leadership Teams unite teachers, principals, and other administrators around a process to analyze school data, monitor goals, and drive improvements. Teachers gain expanded influence and are given decision-making authority. 

• Setting direction

• Charting a clear course that all stakeholders understand

• Establishing high expectations and using data to track progress and performance

• Developing people through providing teachers and others in the system with the necessary support and training to succeed

• Making the organization work, ensuring that the entire range of conditions and incentives in the school fully supports teaching and learning 

• Creating an environment that has positive and supportive professional relationships

• Teacher leaders who work alongside their peers to improve instructional practice for all teachers

• Focus on increasing capacity

• Focus on students

• Model curiosity, observation, and honesty 

• Have confidence in each other’s ability to improve student learning conditions and develop each other’s competency to do so.

• Collect, analyze, and act upon evidence (data) to determine impact.

• Multiple career paths-Master, Mentor, Career teachers

• Effective teams for collective leadership that enlist teacher leaders, principals, and district leaders to drive improvement and sustain student gains

• Clear roles and responsibilities and documented expectations

3.4 Reflective culture: Nurturing a growth mindset in all teachers and students.

Everyone, from community leaders to parents and teachers, coaches and school leaders, plays a role in building a culture of continuous academic improvement, unifying around a reflective culture that instills a growth mindset in all teachers and students. Work to articulate expectations for excellence, create benchmarks for getting there, and regularly assess and adjust course when necessary.

Individual Growth Plan (IGP)

• Teachers  regularly follow a process of self-observation and self-evaluation

• look at what educators do in the classroom, think about why they carry out their routines and strategies, and consider whether what they do “works” – assessing whether their choices and actions result in evidence of student learning and achievement.

• The goal is written in terms of teacher focus (instructional improvement) and student achievement and is supported by or aligned with a specific supporting area from the TAP Instructional Rubric

• References specific strategies (activities) aligned to identified needs
  that the teacher will implement in the classroom

• indicates how implementation will be supported by the administrator, Master, or Mentor Teacher

• References how the teacher will continually monitor changes in teacher/student practice

• Data collection tool used during PLC

• Measures student achievement (individually and collectively)  

We are a Professional Learning Community

• Reflects on instruction 

• Shares a common language around effective teaching

• Operates with a growth mindset 

• Collaborates constructively 

• Focuses on continuous improvement 

• Culture of learning and growing together

School Plan 

• Drives school-wide improvement strategies

• Principal as instructional leader

• Analyzes data

• Monitors School goals

• Learning Walks and Instructional Rounds

3.5  Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS): is an every-education decision-making framework of evidence-based practices in instruction and assessment that addresses the needs of all students. As an every-education process, MTSS allows educators to judge the overall health of their organization by examining data regarding the educational system and identifying students who need additional support. Those supports are provided in both small group and individual settings. Structures are monitored to ensure they support all learners to demonstrate proficiency in the Iowa Core standards and leave school ready for life.

Saydel CSD will increase the implementation of the following MTSS Key Components:  

• Evidence-based curriculum and instruction provided at the universal level (Tier I)

• Universal screening shall be implemented at least three times per year 

• Evidence-based, instructional interventions will be provided at the targeted (Tier II) and Intense (Tier III) levels on a 4-6 week cycle

• Progress monitoring data will be collected and utilized to guide instruction

• Data-based decision making 

Tools to accomplish the goal

• PLC-Collaboration using the four questions (analysis of teaching and learning-academic and SEL)

• IGP-Reflective journal to track student progress

• SRG-Communication tool for student learning

• Cluster-Professional Learning to grow teacher capacity

• ILT monitors student learning and instructional practices

Supporting Documents: 

1. Glossary

2. Balanced Assessment Framework

3. Personalized Learning/Blended Learning

4. Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS)