Good times

I have really enjoyed this past year with everyone. Longer for me and Scott. Looking forward to moving to the next step with Scott and Lydia. Know we will all cross paths in the future. Stay in touch guys.

SBEC Self Assessment, Part II

After completing the superintendent log I know that I have gained experience and knowledge in many of the competency areas. I feel that I have improved my knowledge and skills base. However, I know that I have a lot of room for improvement. I still feel that communication and facilities are my strongest points, and that finance and board relations are my weaknesses. I think I have a better handle on curriculum and how it influences the success of the whole district. I think the biggest difference is that I now feel confident in addressing any of the competency areas. I feel that I have a stronger background. I feel confident in moving forward and addressing issues that I may not have wanted to face before. I may not have all of the answers, but I feel I know at least where to look or who to ask for the information. I feel stronger in my abilities and have an idea of where I am going and how to get there, and feel more confident in moving forward. From this point forward I am looking at everything as a learning experience and hope that I will be able to work in many competency areas to gain experience and knowledge of school business. Today AP at a middle school, tomorrow president!

D2C6A11

We have initiated a positive behavior support iniative in hopes of improving student academic and behvioral success. Each six weeks data is analyzed to monitor improvement. Positive behavior is an important aspect on a middle school campus. Students are irrational and very imulsive. We hope to get them to thinking about choices and consequences.

D2C7A7

We have district plans that require campus administrators to complete formal evaluations as well as several walk through evaluations to ensure that best practices are being used in the classroom and that students are given the opportunity to be successful. It is great to have plans for success, but you have to monitor those plans.

D2C7A9

We use a part of the Eduphoria program to conduct teacher/staff surveys and then allot time to address the concerns of staff during team building exercise at the beginning of the year. Being open and willing to listen to staff on a daily basis allows an informal assessment of organizational moral. Everyone needs to feel like what they do is important and that their concerns are important. You may not be able to address the concerns to everyones satisfaction, but you can listen and try.

D2C6A5

Helped plan and manage an afterschool tutorial program to help students be successful on TAKS. Other than staffing, transportation was provided for students. It seemed that actually ensuring that students got home was the most difficult part. Our transportation department was great and at the end of each day all students were home.

D2C5A9

Attended UIL academic and athletic planning meetings with representatives from other districts. Planned the dates of UIL events. It is a logistical nightmare trying to plan all of the UIL events around the schedules of all participating districts. Inevidably, events get scheduled together or in conflict with an individual schools events.

D2C7A5

Administrators from each campus meet periodically to discuss professional development and how that training meets district as well as individual campus goals. We ensure that state and federal guidelines are met and the needs of students on each campus are met. Ensuring that district staff is prepared to meet the needs of the students is very important in obtaining success.

D2C5A8

Each 6 weeks we provide one day for our grade level science and math teachers to work together planning instruction based on the CSCOPE curriculum.The biggest part for us is furnishing subs, space, and resources for these teachers to meet and plan the best lessons for their students. This is a great way for our teachers to learn the requirements of the new curriculum and work together to find the best strategies for classroom instruction.

D2C5A4

The district has a process to monitor the use of the curriculum, CSCOPE, with a series of walkthroughs from district and campus personnel. These walkthroughs only include math and science classrooms now since these are the only areas we are requiring to use the curriculum this year. We also regularly check (electrnically) to ensure other teachers are accessing the curriculum site. CSCOPE is supposed to be a good, complete curriculum and ensures vertical alignment. We are hoping that it will help us alleviate any gaps in instruction and strengthen our core curriculum.

D1C1A3

We had an incident where a custodian slapped a student in front of other staff and students. The student was the nephew of the custodian's but the behavior was still inappropriate. The parents of the student did not wish for anything to happen, so we only had to deal with school policy. This was a tough one. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Working together, the campus administrative team along with the Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent, decided on a consequence for the custodian that we felt was fair but also showed that this behavior could not be tolersted.

D1C2A5

We evaluate the effectiveness of implemented plans regularly, but in end of the year administrator meetings and site based meetings, we focus on data to ensure that goals are being met. If not we discuss why and plan changes to hopefully meet those goals. You always have to monitor your plans for achieving goals to ensure that those procedures are being implemented and goals are being met.

D1C1A1

Working with other AP to address the issues of two new teachers who are not performing up to standard. One has been on campus all year, one came in at mid year. Student success is suffering because of inexperience of teachers. Also enlisting the help of teaching team. Some new teachers are great and need little help. Some come in with the wrong idea of what teaching is and are not prepared to adapt. The hard part is knowing if that person wil be able to change or should they choose another profession.

D1C4A6

It was brought to my attention that part of the PEIMS reporting for truancy was my responsibility. I discovered that I was about three months behind. I worked with our attendance clerk and SRO to get caught up and in compliance. I discovered this while talking to another AP about changes in the dating procedure. This was a responsibility that was assumed I knew I had. Did not do this in previous district. Communication is key.

D1C3A9

District Assistant Principals met. Discussed ways to get school information to parents and the problems faced in getting that message out. Discussion invovled meeting at local churches to get information to stakeholders. It is important to find innovative ways to get school information to stakeholders who may not have access to the internet or may not be getting the information being sent home with students.

D1C2A1

Several meetings with campus administrative team members and discussed our positive behavior support initiative to evaluate how well it has worked this year and how to improve it next year. Student behavior on a middle school campus is probably the most unpredictable aspect on the campus. We try to stress the concepts of making the right choices and thinking of the consequences and reward positive behavior. It takes the whole campus to achieve this. Everyone (principals, councilors, teachers, and other staff) has to be involved.

D3C8A4

Administrators in the district met to discuss the new system being used for budgeting. There will be a new process of initiating purchases and different coding system. Implementing the new system is taking a lot of training. It is good that many assistant principals as well as campus principals are involved in this. This may not seem like a lot of money to larger districts, but it helps us pay for after school tutoring and pays for remediation materials in our goal of addressing at risk students. 3 hrs.

Staff Development

Staff Development Plan

We have adopted the CSCOPE curriculum and will schedule time for teachers to work with the curriculum. Currently, we only implement CSCOPE with Math and Science. Like most districts, we feel these are our main areas of weakness and want a vertically aligned curriculum to hopefully help improve student success. We are preparing to increase the areas where we implement CSCOPE and will allow time for training.

Most of our staff development is handled on the campus level with each campus developing a plan to address those issues identified by site based committees. There are differences in the needs of early childhood campuses and secondary campuses. On the elementary campuses that do not have to take the TAKS, most of the staff development is based on parent involvement, Response to Intervention, and curriculum. Those campuses also disaggregate achievement test data along with other testing data such as TPRI to address weaknesses. Those campuses that do take the TAKS will also bring in the AEIS data to address the weaknesses there. We also need to be aware of our at risk students and start making plans for them as early as possible.

Across the district we have good scores. The areas holding us down are our scores in the African American, Special Education, and At Risk sub groups. We need to focus our staff development on these areas to hopefully increase test scores.

We have developed a “Failure is not an option” motto and really stress goal setting on the campus level to address specific campus needs. We also stress behavior initiatives on the campus levels. A staff survey helps identify areas of concern that are important to teachers.

We have a grade with a high number of autistic students and each year the teachers receiving these students go through autism training. We try to cover the state mandated requirements like bloodborne pathogens, gifted and talented, sexual harassment, and others with workshops and staff meetings throughout the year and summer so we can focus on campus and district needs during scheduled staff development days.

We are also adopting new software for the school for attendance, grades, discipline, etc. Administrators have been receiving training over the past month and will continue to receive training in the summer with the teachers. We have a state waiver from the state that allows us to have 177 days of instruction with the three additional days required for staff development. We have to spend those three days on curriculum and instruction.

The only day we will meet as a district for beginning of the year staff development is Monday. We will have a district breakfast. The rest of the training will be decided on a campus level focusing on curriculum, instruction, student success initiatives, goal setting in alignment with district plans, and new technology. All of the trainers are coordinated through central office. Specific attention will be placed on teaching diverse populations to reach our sub groups in hopes of helping them become more successful.

Two possible programs to implement are the Ruby Payne and Why Try programs. Both of thse programs will be beneficial with working with our at risk and minority students. We also need to find ways to improve the performance of our special education students. We need to look at how our programs are being implemented and how effective they are.

D2C2A1

Helped run the academic pep rallies that reward the positive behavioral and academic achievements of the students. It is good to find ways to reward academic and behavioral success.

D2C2A4

Along with other administrators and with the aid of local emergency management groups developed an emergency management plan that addresses the needs of the district as pertaining to the changing societal requirements. Having the help and input of different people/groups is very important. It is also important because it addresses the needs of the district.