Superintendent's Report to SC 2.12.20

Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee

February 12, 2020

New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)

●       Collaborative Conference Visit - November 18 & 19, 2019

●       The report reflects the findings of the school’s Self-Reflection and the visiting team of four (Pg.42)

●       Five Foundational Elements/Standards:

Standards/Elements	Rating	Standard Notes
1.1a - Learning Culture	Meets	Safe Environment
1.1b - Learning Culture	Does Not Meet	No Vision of a Graduate; yes Core Values
2.2a - Student Learning	Does Not Meet	Written curriculum Maps
3.1a - Prof Practices	Meets	School Improvement Plan
4.1a - Learning Support	Meets	Interventions, District Accommodation Plan (DCAP), Student Support Team (SST) SWIFT, Harbor, & Co-taught classes
5.1a - Learning Resources	Meets	The facility, spaces, cleanliness, etc.

●       Five Priority Areas (Pgs. 34-42)

○       Goal: The school will develop a vision of the graduate that includes the attainment of transferable skills, knowledge, understandings, and dispositions necessary for future success and will provide feedback to learners and their families on each learner’s progress in achieving this vision.

○       Goal: There is a written curriculum in a consistent format for all courses in all departments.

○       Goal: Create a professional culture that demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement through the use of research, collaborative learning, innovation, and reflection.

○       Goal: Develop a system of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support; incorporates social-emotional learning of students, and develop faculty, staff, and the student’s cultural competency.

○       Goal: All students receive library/information services that support their learning from adequate, certified/licensed personnel.

●       Numerous Commendations (Pgs. 37-38)

○       Highlight a few:

■       The safe, positive, respectful, and inclusive culture at SHS

■       The integration of a growth mindset in the culture of the school

●       In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” ( Dweck, 2015)

■       The opportunity for learners to regularly engage in inquiry, problem-solving, and high-order thinking skills across all content areas

■       The opportunities for learners to regularly engage in authentic learning opportunities such as the Tech Ninjas, the Green Scholars, and the Senior Project

■       The multiple intervention strategies that support students’ personal, social, emotional, academic, career, and college counseling needs

●       Three Recommendations:

○       Ensure building leadership team members feel valued and important members of the school’s leadership structure

○       Develop and implement a plan to re-open the library for daily student use

○       Examine the leveling structure of the school in regards to access and equity for students

High School Library/Media Center (our vision)

●       Looking at developing the space into a Center for Innovation

○       The Classroom inside the Library used as a Makerspace

■        A makerspace is a collaborative workspace inside a school, library or separate public/private facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools. ... They provide hands-on learning, help with critical thinking skills and even boost self-confidence.

○       Students with 1:1 devices are working on schoolwork or working on projects in the Makerspace

○       All of this supported by a Digital Learning Specialist who also works with teachers and classes to integrate technology

○       Teachers could bring their classes to the back area of the library for lessons with the digital presentation board

○       There is a need to have an assistant to help with the print library and resources

○       Research skills were taught in Writing Across the Curriculum and social studies and the library was utilized because it had desktops but we have moved to Chromebook carts at the high school

○       Our new vision for the library would include making it a digital learning environment with students having the option to take out print materials and/or tuck away in a quiet space and read

Big Blue Network

●       Today this network was opened throughout the high school for students

●       Limiting to student phones only at this time

●       Stress testing the capacity/network/device traffic

●       Protected content limited by our filters

●       Not looking to bring other devices at this time for fear of potential virus transfer

●       Students waiting after school are able to work from their phones, teachers can utilize as an instructional tool if there are not ample devices