Michael A. Hurd Asst. Superintendent of Schools 70 Waterford Street, Gardner, MA 01440 Telephone (978) 632-1000, x-5803 FAX (978) 632-1164

District Instructional Goals 1) Improve Quality of Instruction/Enhance Teacher Effectiveness a. Increase opportunities for inclusive practices 2) Improve MCAS Scores/Achieve AYP in all sub-groups Instructional Focus 1) Pedagogy a) Common Practices i) Evidentiary Reading ii) Learning Objectives iii) Daily Writing iv) Active Practice in Open Response v) Speak As You Would Write vi) “Never Say Anything a Kid Can” b) Delivery i) Differentiating Instruction and Assessment ii) Assessment Driving Instruction iii) Re-teach iv) Co-Teaching c) High Expectations i) Programs for students not keeping pace (RTI) 2) Content a) Curriculum Alignment i) Standards ii) Vertical b) Mapping i) UBD Model ii) Across Grades/Subjects c) Essential Concepts i) Chunking/Power Standards Professional Development Focus 1) Differentiated Instruction a) English Language Learners/Category 1-4 Trainings b) Meeting the Needs of All Learners c) Wilson and Fundations (K-3) d) Visualization and Verbalization 2) Understanding By Design a) Curriculum Compacting/Curriculum Mapping b) Assessment Driving Instruction c) High Quality Lessons 3) Collaboration/Co-Teaching/Inclusion a) Effective Use of Support Personnel b) RTI c) ABA 4) Safety Care Training 5) Technology in the instructional process a) Smartboards, Lexia, Edline, web literacy, graphic organizers 6) MCAS Analysis a) COGNOS 7) New Math Series (related trainings) 8) Brain Based Learning 9) Technology Integration H. M. Sauter/Waterford Street Schools Instructional Goals Increase Student Learning 1) Identify Student Learning Needs a) Throughout the year (ongoing) b) Tailor instruction to meet student learning needs c) Assessment data used to drive instruction/remediation 2) Support a) Identify neediest students/ Title I, ELL, SPED b) Identify student knowledge/performance gaps c) Share student information/common planning d) Effective use of support staff i) Title I ii) Tier Instruction e) Measurable Difference via progress monitoring 3) Consistent approach to reading and literacy a) Reading series and support materials b) Staff communicate/collaborate, share best practices/common planning c) Writing samples 4) Increase students’ knowledge and skills in math a) New math series (Sadlier Oxford) for K-5 b) Use K-5 glossary for consistency in vocabulary Conduct Analysis of Student Assessment Data 1) MCAS, STAR, DIBELS, Lexia, Study Island, Galileo 2) Common Assessments/Daily Work 3) Administration-Key Role as instructional leader Elm Street School Instructional Goals Increase Student Reading and Writing Skills 1) Harcourt Reading Series and Supplemental Resources a) Complete content pacing maps PK-5 b) Interventions i) Used with SPED, ELL, Title I ii) Wilson Language 2) Provide additional opportunities for more In-School Reading (Accelerated Reader, TFK) 3) Continued In-Class Writing a) Open response, defend point-of-view, inference (what did author mean?) b) Research project Conduct Analysis of Student Assessment Data 1) MCAS, STAR, Holistic, Lexia, Study Island, Galileo 2) Common Math and ELA Assessments 3) Identify Student Weaknesses a) Focus on 2-4 per subject in the aggregate b) Focus on subgroup differences to aggregate 4) Identify Skills and Knowledge gaps 5) Establish Improvement Objectives to Address Poor Student Performance 6) Share Information a) Within and Across Grades/Levels 7) Monitor Progress 8) Implement recommendations of PIM process 9) Administration-Key role as instructional leader Offer Instruction Outside of Regular School Day 1) Supplemental Education Services (after school tutoring) Increase Rigor of Math Courses 1) Impacts of movement of Algebra I to 8^th Grade a) Curriculum “ripples” to lower grades Gardner Middle School Instructional Goals Increase Reading Ability of All Students 1) Reading for Meaning and Purpose –Evidentiary Reading a) Non-Fiction b) Articles/Source Documents c) Across grades/levels/subjects d) Increase in-school reading e) Junior Great Books Increase Student Writing Skills 1) All grade levels 2) Part of everyday culture a) Incorporate into variety of assignments b) Assess student work using writing rubrics i) Write more/Grade less/Focus Correction Areas ii) Timely feedback c) Use Exemplars and Anchor Papers (modeling) 3) Students write to defend point of view or position w/facts from reading passages a) Students need to revise work b) Writing with a purpose Use More High Quality Lessons 1) Understanding by Design a) ELA/Math-primary focus b) Differentiated Instruction c) RTI d) Co-Teaching e) Daily Goals/Objectives from Common Planning 2) Teach for Understanding in Essential Concepts/Power Standards 3) Teach for Exposure in Non-Essential Concepts 4) Data Driven Instruction/Common Assessments 5) All Curriculum is Mapped/Revise as needed Write Success Plans for Targeted Students 1) Focus instruction on student learning needs 2) Any student below 230 on MCAS a) Primary focus of plan-ELA/Math b) Share plan with “other” teachers c) Plan accommodations need to be specific to student learning needs, not generic accommodations d) Plan based on Data Analysis (Cognos/Measured Progress) 3) Developed at working meetings a) Student assessment data analyzed b) Progress monitored Conduct Analysis of Student Assessment Data 1) Teachers Analysis of MCAS and Common Assessments 2) Assessment results drive instruction 3) PIM Findings Reviewed and Updated 4) Student success plans; Cognos Training Increase Collaborating of Staff 1) Sharing Best Practices (high quality/team based) 2) Work Together on Refining Curriculum and Instruction a) Team Approach by grade and school (vertical articulation) Offer Instruction Outside of Regular School Day 1) SES Tutoring 2) Target Populations-Title I, ELL, MCAS below 240 3) Mid-November to Mid-March 4) Top Priority-Math, ELA a) Lexia/Word Processing/Reading Adventures b) Tutor-Support Classroom Instruction Increase Rigor of Math Courses 1) Move Algebra I to 8^th Grade a) Need assistance K-5 b) Adopt Co-Teaching model at all grade levels Gardner High School Instructional Goals Focus on Student Learning 1) Increase Daily Attendance a) Students need to be in school to learn 2) Decrease Drop-out Rate a) Track by cohorts (classes) b) Interview All Drop-outs 3) School-wide a) School based committees (curriculum, pd, scheduling, discipline, technology, wellness) i) All support learning 4) Develop Career Pathways a) Include choices for at-risk student population b) Community partnerships i) Meaningful internships/work-release c) Updated and expanded articulation agreements i) MWCC & FSC Conduct Analysis of Student Assessment Data (MCAS and PIM) 1) All relevant staff included a) Cognos training 2) Focus on Most Significant Weaknesses a) Identify assessment items where students performed poorly i) 3-4 per subject b) Look for trends c) Prioritize action response 3) Define Student Learning Needs a) Identify Skills and Knowledge gaps 4) Establish Improvement Objectives a) Look for root causes of poor student performance (focus change areas) b) Establish Instructional Change Objectives to address the causes of poor student performance Write Educational Proficiency Plans for Targeted Students (EPP) 1) Focus instruction on student learning needs 2) Any student scoring from 220 to 238 on MCAS a) Primary focus of plan-ELA/Math (science to be included) b) Share plan with affected teachers c) Plan accommodations need to be specific to student learning needs, not generic accommodations d) Plan based on Data Analysis 3) Developed at working meetings a) Student assessment data analyzed b) Progress monitored Enhance the Success of All Students 1) Require semester study skills class of all freshmen 2) Identify teams of teachers for freshmen 3) Use of common practices in all classes 4) Use of common assessments in ELA (others to follow) Increase Collaboration of Staff 1) Sharing Best Practices (high quality) 2) School based committees 3) Work Together on Refining Curriculum and Instruction a) Team approach Ensure Curriculum Consistency 1) Map instruction a) Coordinate vertically and horizontally across disciplines