Providing Focus to College, Career and Citizenship

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Providing Focus to College, Career and
Citizenship

• Using an Accountability system
• to guide our course

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What Accountability is

• Shared accountability is a way of working that
  will help us reach our vision of college, career,
  and citizenship for every student.
• A set of indicators used system wide to achieve
  our vision
• A tool to help us maintain focus
• Not only for student achievement - but everything
  we do from the board room to the classroom to the
  living room
• A system that allows us to collect and use data
• To maintain our course
• Make corrections along the way

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What Accountability is not

• Just one more thing we have to do
• Another new initiative
• If anything the Accountability work can unify
  some of the current initiatives
• Not intended to be a gotcha
• The ultimate goal of accountability is not to
  measure success and failure the goal is to move
  us toward our vision

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What can we achieve by using an Accountability
system?

• Create a continuous improvement model built to
• Inform, Inspire, Improve
• How we define success
• College, Career, Citizenship, a reality for all
• Raise the visibility of the LEARN strategic plan
• No need to re-invent the wheel

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Current Strategic plan 2007-2012

• The strategic plan reflects these core values
• Our vision
• academic success and high expectations for all
  students.
• lifelong learning for students and adults.
• investing in our most valuable resource our
  people.
• innovation, continuous improvement, and results.
• stewardship of community resources.
• community engagement, partnerships, and open and
  honest communication.
• accountability from the board room to the
  classroom.

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What shared accountability entails

• Looking at data regularly to ensure continuous
  improvement.
• Collaboration time with colleagues to set goals,
  plan, monitor our own practices, and support each
  others growth.
• Focused use of classroom assessment to measure
  student progress and modify instruction/practice
  as necessary.
• Using district and school improvement plans to
  monitor progress toward our vision.

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What shared accountability looks like

• Each individual, school, and department
  understands his/her responsibility in moving
  every student toward college, career, and
  citizenship.
• We are continually evaluating to see where we
  need to improve or make mid-course corrections.
• We recognize, celebrate, and learn from our
  successes.
• Because we can see what is working and what is
  not, we focus our time, effort, and resources on
  the work that will move us most quickly and
  efficiently toward our vision.

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Accountability systems in a nutshell

• Basic framework for accountability system
  involves three tiers
• Tier 1 System-wide measures
• Indicators are data points required by federal
  statute, state regulations and local board of
  education policy
• Tier 2 Goals and plans
• Indicators are the measurable practices in
  teaching, leadership, parent involvement,
  extracurricular activities, and other
  school-based indicators that reflect the
  decisions of the teachers, parents, and
  administrators in each school
• Tier 3 Lessons learned
• Tier 3 variables are described in a one page
  narrative that tells the story behind the
  numbers.

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System-wide measures should align with L.E.A.R.N.
Goals

• L - Learning Environment
• E - Excellence in Staff
• A - Achievement for Every Student
• R - Resource Stewardship
• N - Neighborhood and Community Engagement

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Refining measures to align with the existing plan

• LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
• New schools completed on time and on budget.
• Parents agree with statement, My childs school
  is safe.
• EXCELLENCE IN STAFF
• Increase percentage of teachers with masters
  degrees and doctorates.
• ACHIEVEMENT FOR EVERY STUDENT
• 9 out of 10 students proficient in reading,
  grades K-2.
• 9 out of 10 students proficient in literacy.
• 9 out of 10 students proficient in math.
• 9 out of 10 students in every ethnic group
  graduating on time.
• 9 out of 10 students taking SAT.
• 9 out of 10 students graduating college-ready.
  
• RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP
• Increase resources allocated to teaching/
  teaching support.
• Retain three to five percent reserve fund.

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Highline School Boards role in Accountability

• Establish the System-wide measures
• Really focus on our vision and goals, then model
  it in our own work
• Use that focus to keep ourselves and everyone
  else on track
• Become agents for the change we would like to see
• Provide leadership and support to parents and
  community members by communicating the vision
• Come to consensus about the importance of an
  accountability system for our students

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Some possible Board Goals and plans

• Crafting and Communicating Vision
• Reframe existing mission and vision
• Sharing the message with Community
• Each of us take ownership of promoting the vision
• Employee recognitions
• Have regular and meaningful celebrations of
  success
• Create traditions
• Student and Parent achievement
• Challenge each and every student and parent
• Engage Business and Community leaders in
  education centered dialog
• Intentionally create a community wide buzz in
  support of the work

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The potential outcome of our work

• Model the importance of an accountability system
  from the top down
• Take advantage of all the work that has been done
  (CCC, LEARN)
• Raise the bar at every level and in every
  department throughout the system
• Support the belief that its everyones job
• Provide an environment that encourages and
  supports thriving relationships for, and between
• Students, Parents, Teachers, Staff, Schools,
  Communities

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What it is going to take

• Time, time and more time
• Communication
• To the community - by John, Stacie and board
  members
• Between stove pipes
• Between schools
• Teachers from different grade levels
• Kindergarten teachers should know how to help 3rd
  grade teachers and so on
• Consistent and unified effort
• Every person in the system
• Board
• Senior leadership
• Highline Education Association
• Commitment to and belief in - the long term
  VISION

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Our role as a board is to provide

• Structure
• Advocacy
• Vision a Culture of Excellence
• Accountability
• Our goal with Accountability for learning is to
  transform educational accountability policies
  from destructive and demoralizing accounting
  drills into meaningful and constructive decision
  making in the classroom, school and district.
• Douglas Reeves - Accountability for Learning

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The more we knowthe more we move ahead.

• Thank You!