EAST BUCHANAN SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
School Improvement is a very important
effort occurring in school districts across Iowa. This endeavor
involves a large group of people associated with a school district to
make it successful and result in increased student achievement. Our
district has tried to engage in coherent and integrated change rather
than a piecemeal approach. It has tried to align all components using
standards, benchmarks, effective research on teaching strategies, staff
development, community involvement, and collection of data to drive
decisions. Our school improvement process use to be called LLTC - Linking Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum.
We have since moved to a Learning Teams approach with Leadership Teams.
Collaboration occurs between teachers and AEA 267 on district
initiatives. School Improvement is a continual "work in progress."
LONG RANGE IMPROVEMENT GOALS
Goal One
- All K-12 students will achieve proficiency in reading comprehension in order to be prepared for the future beyond high school.
Goal Two
- All K-12 students will achieve proficiency in mathematics in order to be prepared for the future beyond high school.
Goal Three
- All K-12 students will achieve proficiency in science in order to be prepared for the future beyond high school.
Goal Four
- All K-12 students will continue to improve technology aptitude in developing proficiency in reading, math, and science.
Goal Five
- All students will feel safe at and connected to school.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Year 1
- Reintroduction of Mission,
Vision, Values, and Beliefs - developed Nov. 20, 1995 through Staff
Development and Consensus Building with Community.
- Development of the Facilitation Team.
- Team Building.
-
Staff Development on Brain Research - Pat Wolfe, Ed.D., Napa, California.
- Staff Development on Culture and Climate of the Classroom - Ed Redalen, Director of AEA 7, Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Year 2
- Staff Development on Today's Learner - Sue Wells Welsh, President of Instructional Training Company.
- Curriculum Framework (pdf) - Nancy Lockett, Educational Services, AEA.7, Cedar Falls, Iowa.
- Staff Development on Standards and Benchmarks - Diane Paynter, MCREL Institute, Aurora, Colorado.
- District Development of Standards and Benchmarks - Staff Development.
- District Development of Essential Learnings (Life Skills) - School-To-Work Summer Institute.
Year 3
Year 4
- Implementation of Curriculum Framework to Align Instruction and Assessment - Staff Development.
- Implementation of Alternative Assessment Math and Reading Modules - AEA 7 Inservice.
- Implementation of K-3 Literacy Assessments - AEA 7 Inservice.
- School Improvement Advisory Committee Reorganized.
- Continuation of Development of Performance Assessment Tasks (PATs).
- District Development of Critical Objectives For Standards and Benchmarks PK-12 - Staff
Development.
- Awarded a McElroy Excellence in Education Enrichment Grant used to Implement the "Inspiration" Program K-12 - Staff Development.
Year 5
- Continuation of Development of Performance Assessment Tasks (PATs).
- Continuation of Curriculum Framework (Planner) to Align Instruction and Assessment.
- Implementation of Data Gathering Via Quality Tools - AEA 7 Inservice.
- Staff Development on "Data, Not Guess Work", Lee
Jenkins of Data, Not Guess Work Seminars, Antioch, California - AEA 7
Inservice.
- Department of Education Site Visit Accomplished.
- Awarded Vision Iowa Infrastructure Grant.
- Implemented Guided Reading Instruction for Grades K-2.
- Secondary Carver Content Area Reading Instruction Continued - AEA 7 Inservice.
- Character Education Team Developed and Program in Progress.
- Awarded a McElroy Excellence in Education
Enrichment Grant used for Middle School Interdisciplinary Education 6-8
- Staff Development.
- Implementation of ICAM Testing in Math and Reading (Iowa Collaborative Assessment Module) for Grades 4, 8, and 11.
Year 6
- Implementation ofLearning Teams in a Structural Process - AEA 7 and PK-12 Staff Development.
- Continuation of Data Collection and Analysis Strategies to Improve Instructional Decision Making - PK-12 Staff Development.
- Implementation of Alternative Assessment Science Modules - AEA 7.
- Implementation of NWEA Pilot test for Math, Reading, Science for Grades 3, 7, 10- Mid-Iowa School Improvement Consortium (MISIC).
Year 7
- Continuation of Second Year of Learning Teams with Redesign in a Structured Process - AEA 267 and PK-12 Staff Development.
- Continuation of Data Collection and Analysis to Improve Instructional Decision Making - PK-12 Staff Development.
- Implementation of NWEA Testing - Grades 3-11 in
Math, Reading, Language Arts, and Science - AEA 267 and MISIC, PK-12
Staff Development.
- Alignment of Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science Standards and Benchmarks with MISIC Core Curriculum.
- Awarded Schools and Libraries Universal Service Grant for Technology.
- Expanded Technology Instruction to K-2.
- Provided Network and Internet Access for K-2, Accomplishing K-12 Network and Internet Connectivity at One site.
- Analysis of Data Collection for Comprehensive School/Improvement Plan (CSIP)
- Middle School awarded Leadership in Conservation award from Pheasants Forever for My Side of the Mountain Interdisciplinary Unit
Year 8
- Development of Character Education Program.
- Continuation of Learning Teams to implement strategies for tracking implementation data.
- Development of Program Evaluation tool for evaluating state and federal programs with AEA 267.
- Creation of District Career Development Plan with Individual Teacher Development Plan.
- Continual implementation of Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP)
Year 9
- Implementation of Character Education Program - Elementary
- Introduction of R4 - Rigor, Relevance, Relationships, and Reflection initiative in order to prepare students for the 21st Century with AEA 267 and 9-12 Staff Development.
- Initiation of Second Chance Reading for improving secondary reading comprehension.
- Implementation of Program Evaluation for evaluating state and federal programs.
- Strategic teaching of vocabulary instruction (high
school) and summarizing instruction (middle school) for improving
secondary reading instruction.
Year 10
- Implemented Second Chance Reading initiative - AEA267 & 6-12 Staff Development.
- Implemented Eighth Grade Plan requirement.
- Continuation of R4 - Rigor, Relevance, Relationships, and Reflection initiative with AEA 267 and 9-12 Staff Development.
- Strategic teaching of notetaking and organizational skills in middle school in order to improve secondary reading instruction.
- Continuation of reading in content area strategies in high school in order to improve secondary reading instruction.
- 2006-2007 Site Visit, Departent of Education.
Year 11
- Introduction of new reading series K-8.
- Teacher Mentoring Program - instruction on site.
- Initiation of Parent Involvement Network (SPIN) with AEA 267 and PK-12 Staff Development.
- Continuation of R4 initiative
- Awarded State of Iowa Voluntary Preschool Grant.
Year 12
- Continuation of Teacher Mentoring Program on site.
- Continuation of Parent Involvement Network (SPIN) with AEA 267.
- Improvement of first year of Iowa Core Curriculum (ICC) inservicing of leadership with AEA 267.
- Continuation of R4 initiative.
- Creation of Voluntary Preschool Grant Program.
Year 13
- Continuation of Teacher Mentoring Program on site.
- Continuation of Parent Involvement Network (SPIN) with AEA 267.
- Continuation of inservicing Iowa Core Curriculum (ICC) with AEA 267. Second Year.
- Voluntary Preschool Grant Program Verification Site visit from Department of Education.
Year 14 (2010-2011)
- Completion of PK-4 addition to current facility resulting in a PK-12 one site.
- Continuation of Teacher Mentoring Program on site.
- Awarded WalMart Grant for CPR Manakins.
- Awarded McElroy Trust Grant for Early Childhood/School Aged Play Area Renovation.
- Continuation of inservicing Iowa Core Curriculum (ICC) with AEA 267. Third Year.
- Continuation of mapping and tracking of curriculum
through use of Mid Iowa School Improvement Consortium (MISIC)
Curriculum Manager.
- Initiation of Technology Professional Development in Google Docs training for faculty and staff.
OUR DESIRED STATE
- Standards and Benchmarks Directed Instruction.
- Use of data collection and analysis for the purpose of improving instruction and program evaluation.
- Move from a "Come-if-we-call" school to a "Partnership" school.
- Prepare our graduates for continued learning in the 21st Century, so they will be contributing members of society.
- Strive for excellence in instruction and assessment using characteristic of Effective Instruction via Iowa Core Curriculum.
- To provide learning opportunities and support for
our distric that will empower and inspire teachers to plan for and
implement the Iowa Core Corriculum (ICC) resulting in changes in the
ways we educate our students.
FACILITATION TEAM MEMBERS
- Dan Fox, Superintendent and Elementary Principal
- Tom Mossman, Middle and High School Principal
- Barbara Sabin, School Improvement Facilitator
- Tana Recker, Elementary
- Jennifer Hellenthal, Elementary
- Susan Sloan, Elementary
- Barb Butera, Middle School
- Stacy Marcus, High School
- Nathanial Chesher, High School
- Kevin Hesner, Technology Coordinator
IOWA CORE CURRICULUM TEAM MEMBERS
- Dan Fox, Superintendent and Elementary Principal
- Tom Mossman, Middle and High School Principal
- Barbara Sabin, School Improvement Facilitator
- Linda Moore, Elementary
- Jim Brown, Elementary Music, ElemTech
- Lee White, High School
- Paula McGraw, High School Guidance
- Jacob Van Scoyoc, High School
- Kevin Hesner, Technology Coordinator
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT INFORMATION
Updated by School Improvement Team
East Buchanan Community School Tech Team
Return to the EBCS Home Page