By 2014, with the help of Race to the Top funds and through our continued commitment to the Ohio improvement Process, the Washington Court House City School District will have made quantum leaps toward becoming an exemplary district. The district will be a large learning community made up of smaller learning communities working together for the common goal of outstanding student achievement. All students will receive instruction through differentiation based on data derived from high-quality assessments (purposeful, no longer than necessary, immediate feedback), with a focus on a guaranteed and viable curriculum. The belief system of both students and adults in the system will be that all students will learn and every student will have equal access to a curriculum fully aligned to the standards adopted by the state of Ohio in June of 2010.
TRANSFORMATION TEAM
• At a minimum, the Transformation Team will meet quarterly to review and revise the plan
• The Transformation Team will provide periodic RttT updates to all stakeholders (internal and external), including the school board
Section B: STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENT
• The curriculum and assessments will be aligned with the new academic standards
• The district commits to implementing a formative assessment program
Section C: INSTRUCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM/USING DATA TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTION
• The district will adopt a qualifying instructional improvement system (IIS)
• The district will continue to improve the district’s formative assessment practices
• The district will provide its data to researchers, consistent with the state’s research agenda
• The district will partner with institutions of higher learning and national research organizations to evaluate and implement innovative education models
Section D: GREAT TEACHERS AND LEADERS
Measure Student Growth
• The district commits to the use of Value-Added and other progress measures, such as Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) to inform curriculum, instruction, and assessment decisions. This would include supporting professional development.
• The district commits to measuring student growth in non-tested subjects and grade levels.
Evaluation Systems
• The district commits to adopting a comprehensive evaluation system for annual evaluations of all teachers and principals.
• The district commits to using data and results from the evaluation system in the planning of district professional development programs, in the decision-making process for budget development and in promotion, retention, and tenure decisions.
• The district commits to implement the Teacher Residency program.
Equitable Distribution of Effective Teachers and Principals
• The district commits to implementing recruitment and professional development strategies to increase the pool of effective teachers available in the district for hard-to-staff areas.
• The district commits to ensuring that the most effective teachers will serve students with the greatest needs in each building. (Our building configuration is one building for each grade band – one building each for K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12).
Effective Supports to Teachers and Principals
• The district will support the full implementation of the Teacher Residency Program for all new teachers.
• The district will use the state’s professional development standards when designing, implementing, and evaluating the effectiveness of professional development.