Four Months In ACPS

1. Four Months InACPS Observations Reflections Impressions December 18, 2008 Dr. Morton Sherman, Superintendent

2. ACPS is a good school division that can be great.

3. Education Criteria for Performance ExcellenceThe 2009-2010 Education Care Criteria for Performance Excellence is used by organizations that provide educational services in the United States and its territories.The Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence provide a systems perspective for understanding performance management. They reflect validated, leading-edge management practices against which an organization can measure itself. With their acceptance nationally and internationally as the model for performance excellence, the Criteria represent a common language for communication among organizations for sharing best practices. The Criteria are also the basis for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award process.

4. Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, Inc. (BRSE), has worked over the years to develop and refine a means for a school’s own stakeholders to assess the school’s performance and design program improvement initiatives focused on the results of that assessment.   The BRSE Blueprint for Excellence is designed to be a positive school improvement process that covers nine major categories of critical performance elements found in excellent schools (Student Focus and Support; School Organization and Culture; Challenging Standards and Curriculum; Active Teaching and Learning; Technology Integration; Professional Community; Leadership and Educational Vitality; School, Family, and Community Partnerships; Indicators of Success).

5. Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence • The award is the highest honor under a new incentive program for schools and school divisions created by the Board of Education to advance Governor Kaine’s “competence to excellence” agenda. • To qualify for the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence, schools and school divisions must meet all state and federal achievement benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and meet Governor Kaine’s goals for achievement in elementary reading; enrollment in Algebra I by grade 8; enrollment in college-level courses; attainment of advanced diplomas and career and industry certifications; and participation, if eligible, in the Virginia Preschool Initiative. Schools and school divisions also earn bonus points for other performance measures, including the Governor’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Scorecard.

6. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a system of international assessments that focus on 15-year-olds' capabilities in reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy. PISA also includes measures of general or cross-curricular competencies such as learning strategies. PISA emphasizes functional skills that students have acquired as they near the end of mandatory schooling. PISA is organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization of industrialized countries. Begun in 2000, PISA is administered every 3 years. Each administration includes assessments of all three subjects, but assesses one of the subjects in depth. The most recent administration was in 2006 and focused on science literacy.

7. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) provides reliable and timely data on the mathematics and science achievement of U.S. 4th- and 8th-grade students compared to that of students in other countries. TIMSS data have been collected in 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. TIMSS 2007 results were released on December 9, 2008.

8. Survey results show that the community agrees – we have a strong foundation, but there is work to be done.

9. What do you think are the greatest strengths of ACPS? • Diversity • Quality Teaching • Academic Excellence • Parent and Community Involvement • T.C. Williams

10. What areas do you think need attention? • District needs to do more for “at promise” students • More rigor for average students • More funding for schools and students and less for central office.

11. What are some suggested goals? • ACPS employees should feel supported and teacher salaries should remain competitive. • More accountability in the schools. • Goals set around every child’s success in reading and math. • Improved performance at the middle schools. • More opportunities for art and sports. • Smaller class sizes. • Improved delivery of special education instruction.

12. What advice do you have for the new Superintendent? • The Superintendent should be a good listener and hear all parties before acting on an issue. Always keep the best interest of the students in mind.

13. My Classroom Observations

14. Audacious Goals • Dream big • Continually assess and modify

15. The New Civil Rights • Achievement vs. Access (Fourteenth Amendment) • “We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

16. NCLB will not go away • Amend, don’t end • At a MINIMUM, all NCLB subgroups in ACPS should exceed state averages

17. Imagine the Titans

18. Work We Have Begun • Goals for 2008-2010 • Individual Achievement Plans • TCW College and Career Center • Strategic Planning for 2009-2014 • Budget for 2009-2010 • Strategic Partnerships • MSAN • NUA • America’s Choice • ASCD

19. Work to be Done • ACPS standards, curriculum, assessments • Enrollments, facilities, limited resources • Higher achievement for all • Break down the silos • Use data wisely on an on-going basis • School wall charts and report cards (more than standardized test scores) • Be brave, courageous and focused