Pender Public SchoolsSchool Improvement

External Evaluation Summary

April 3, 2009

The mission of the Pender Public School District is to provide quality educational opportunities in a safe, positive learning environment that motivates and challenges all students to become productive

and responsible citizens.

Why School Improvement?

A school improvement process is a systematic on-going process involving planning, implementation, and evaluation and renewal of school improvement activities to meet local and statewide goals and priorities. 

All accredited schools in Nebraska must have a school improvement process in effect according to Rule 10 10-009.01. 

The process includes a periodic review by visiting educators who provide consultation for the local school/community in continued accomplishment of plans and a goals. 

In accordance with Rule 10-009.01B each school must have an external team visit at least once each five years.

The State of Nebraska

Schools in the state of Nebraska all must meet state accreditation standards.

Schools may also choose to be NCA accredited. Although membership is voluntary, schools who

choose to join NCA must meet the NCA standards and criteria to ensure all teachers have preparation for the subjects they are teaching and the school pursues an improvement plan that focuses on student learning and verifies student success.

NCA and Nebraska State accreditation standards are similar, but they do not substitute for one another. Public school districts must be state accredited; schools may elect to join NCA.

Pender Public Schools has chosen state accreditation.

Why did we have an external visit?

Pender is in year 5 of our current school improvement cycle.

NDE mandates an external visit at the end of each 5 year cycle.

External visitation team examines our profile, goals, plans and implementation over the last 5 years.

Do you remember our goals?

Goal 1 Continue to focus on and improve the basics   Goal 2 Improve problem solving/critical thinking skills   Goal 3 Improve information and communication technology (ICT)

skills   Goal 4 Develop and incorporate career path education experiences

in the curriculum

*Goals established from World Café process

Action Plan Process

Our action plans were derived from the Feb. 20th in-service.

Our documentation of what we have done was compiled into action plans.

These action plans were specific to each of our goals.

Our School Improvement Team

The school improvement team at the conclusion of this 5-year cycle has included:

• Dr. Joseph Reinert• Mr. Jason Dolliver• Mr. Tim Olin• Mrs. Rae Brown• Mrs. Kristine Muir• Mrs. Lanette VonSeggern• Mrs. Kelly Ballinger

Our External Visitation Team

Our External Visitation Team included:

Dr. Dan Hoesing, External Chair (Supt. Laurel-Concord, Newcastle, Wynot, Coleridge)

Mrs. Pat Sweeney (Principal, Randolph)

Mr. Brad Hoesing (Principal, Wausa)

Mrs. Lanita Recob (Tech. Trainer, ESU #1)

External Team Visit Agenda

Monday, March 23, 2009

Agenda 8:00 – 8:15 Welcome (External Team will meet in the HS Conf.

Room) 8:15 – 9:15 External Team meets on their own 9:15 – 10:30 External Team meets with SIP

Committee/Administration 10:30 – 11:30 External Team meets on their own 11:30 – 12:15 Visit with administrative team 12:15 – 1:00 Lunch with FFA Officers in HS Conf. Room 1:00 – 1:30 Facility Tour 1:30 – 2:30 Flex Time: Meet with teachers/staff/visit

classrooms 2:30 – 3:45 External Team meets on their own 3:45 – 4:15 Exit report by the external team

Highlights

Tour of facilitiesExternal team met with school

improvement teamLunch with FFA officersSpoke to staff regarding goals

Spoke with Rusty specifically regarding career education

Format for Evaluation

The format for evaluation was the Nebraska Frameworks school improvement rubric.

Includes 6 areas of SIP process. Commitment, Planning, Organization Gathering and Analyzing Data Target Area Goals The Action Plan Implement and Monitor the Action Plan Review and Update the Action Plan

*Please see your copy of the Nebraska Frameworks school improvement rubric

So what did they have to say?

Commendations - All the great things we have

done!

Focus Areas for the Next Five Years – Room to grow!

Commendations Website is very helpful

See School Improvement tab on www.penderschools.org

World Café Annual event? Part of each school improvement cycle

Mission statement Community/Staff are aware of mission statement Belief in the mission statement

Staff development time Built into calendar

RtI process

Commendations

ELL services

Graduation rate

STARS assessment results

Career education opportunities Mr. Bartlett, Mrs. Muir, Mrs. Farrington, Mrs. Thoene,

Mrs. Tyler

Technological resources

Facilities

Focus Areas for Next 5 Year Cycle Professional Learning Communities –

Communication with elementary and secondary teachers is necessary Communication amongst staff members within the secondary and the

elementary is necessary (Grade level – Content area) Peer /teacher observation and conversation Curriculum Alignment (Scope and Sequence) K-12 Frequency of interactions

Data analysis What data is really needed? How do we systematically and systemically analyze that data? Educate our staff how to analyze data

Why our state standards 100% proficient and our NRT results are are not very good?

Look at our norm-referenced tests to see if they meet our needs as a district.

We currently give ITBS at the 3rd and 7th grade level, is this best practice?

We should probably add at least 5th grade to the NRT assessment schedule?

Should NRT tests count toward class ranking?

Focus Areas for Next 5 Year Cycle Goals

Goals are too big, too much to attack! We need to focus our goals. Goals are not measurable Goals were not triangulated/ data driven

Effective use of technological resources

Share resources with other districts Distance Education opportunities

Use the NE frameworks model for our action plans

Where do we go from here?

New SIP Team Members: Harold and Cindy Janke Mark and Jana Lorenson Russ and Kerrie Renter

Corissa Jewell Kyle Wiebelhaus Dylan Kent Emily Essman

Where do we go from here?

Year 1 Creating the profile/Setting the goals

Year 2 Setting the goals/Planning to improve

Year 3 Planning to improve/Implementing the plan

Year 4 Implementing the plan

Year 5 Implementing the plan

Your Task Today -

Take a look at the chocolate you selected.

Your choice of chocolate determines your study group.

Meeting Place - If you are a Twix – Brooke Thoene’s Room If you are a Snickers – Tami Nelson’s Room If you are a Milky Way – Cassie Guenther’s

Room If you are a 3 Musketeers – Lanette Von’s

Room

Your Task Today -

Study Group Assignment – What was the biggest success of our current 5 year cycle? What was the greatest weakness of our current 5 year cycle? What do we need to do the same in our next 5 year cycle? What do we need to do differently in our next 5 year cycle? What should be our # 1 goal in the next 5 year cycle?

Be specific In the next three years, the state will be implementing state

tests in the areas of reading, writing, math, and science. Knowing that the state will no longer require schools to do the STARS assessment process, what, if anything, should Pender do to compensate for not being required to do the STARS assessment process?

Share Your Thoughts!

Group 1 – Twix What was the biggest success of our current 5 year cycle? World Café What was the greatest weakness of our current 5 year cycle? Administration Turnover – Lack of consistency and communication Teachers and Students Too wide of goals What do we need to do the same in the next 5 year cycle? World Café What do we need to differently in our next 5 year cycle? Keep staff and administration intact Keep communication open, especially with new staff members Align curriculum Pre K-12 What should be our #1 goal in the next 5 year cycle? Initiate communication to carry our goals that are established. In the next three years, the state will be implementing state tests in the areas of reading, writing,

math, and science. Knowing that the state will no longer require schools to do the STARS assessment process, what, if anything, should Pender so to compensate for not being required to do the STARS assessment process?

Nothing – You are teaching the covered material in your classroom and will test the areas with your own tests to see if they are mastered, that will lead to the State Wide Assessment Test.

Share Your Thoughts! Group 2 – Snickers Successes Infusion of technology Community involvement in career development Improved collaboration between elementary and secondary from when in two separate buildings Awareness of curriculum and alignment in K-12 Sycamore communication for parents Weaknesses Communication between staff, content areas, community, school, and administration Knowledge of technology use for effectiveness Time for training on technology use More technology for everyone Booster Club involvement in taking tickets No communication of curriculum to new teachers CURRICULUM SAT Team Meetings more frequent Continued Committee involvement-volunteer now assigned, why? Casual for a Cause Built-in Inservices Different Open communication between elementary and secondary over content, teaching strategies, assessments Time for staff conversation and development of changes and then implementation Automatic referral to SAT team when frequently on down list Full day Inservices #1 Goal Open communication between elementary and secondary over content, teaching strategies, assessments State Assessment Online practice tests

Share Your Thoughts!

Group 3 – Milky Way 1--World Cafe   2--our goals were not measureable      3--continue and expand the World Cafe activity     4--explore the possibility of parent-led conferences     brainstorm technology availability   What should our #1 goal be? Prepare our students for the online tests.   How shall we compensate for not being required to take the STARS assessment? WE should focus on the sample test areas of the new assessment process, and

incorporate that into our curriculum.

Share Your Thoughts!

Group 4 – 3 Musketeers Biggest success – World Café – joining together of

community, business, students, staff – positive experience / discussion / collaboration / public relations

Greatest weakness – goals were too vague and not addressed / reviewed / followed up with staff – no specific direction

Do the same – continue World Café – every other year – beginning of cycle and again to review (year 3)

Do differently – not just industry views at World Café, address needs of community

#1 goal – more unified PreK-12 school community – create time for PreK-12 conversations / learning communities -

Instead of STARS – will need to triangulate data – what sources do we use? – universal screening, NRT – not PreK-2 so continue STARS, curriculum tests, administration come up with another process

Thank You!

The mission of the Pender Public School District is to provide quality educational opportunities in a safe, positive learning

environment that motivates and challenges all students to become

productive and responsible citizens.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication. It is appreciated!