School Visits Aim for Improvement
Starting tomorrow, schools will receive unscheduled visits by a district team checking the quality of instruction in classrooms.
Schools Superintendent Steve Gallon III said the Instructional Program review is not about "I gotcha" visits, but is intended to establish a standard "not for one school, but for all schools."
Each of the district's 13 schools will receive a review in the first quarter for five research-based elements: School improvement, data collection and benchmarks, professional development, instructional program management and student services. Subsequent reviews will build on the initial findings.
The so-called "Opportunity for Improvement" recalled the state's monitoring process last February, a one-shot check that resulted in a determination that the district was deficient in four of five performance areas. Gallon said he is not waiting for the state to rank the district, but will implement the site visitation program with the goal of ongoing improvement.
Gallon gave a lengthy presentation of metrics for each area of improvement, as well as rubrics that will pinpoint the level of performance in each school. In answer to questions after his presentation, Gallon said parents and community members will not be invited to join in the site visits and the school board will not get details, but will be informed of trends uncovered in the reviews.
Gallon gave his presentation at Tuesday's first business meeting in the newly-dubbed Administration Building at 1200 Myrtle Avenue. As promised after he took over July 1, Gallon showcased student talent at the beginning of the meeting. On Tuesday, (Correction: Four students, one male and three female, identified only by first names) five dance students of teacher M.A. Taylor performed. Noting the state's designation of Plainfield High School as a "persistently dangerous school," Gallon turned the PDS acronym around to PTS, for "persistently talented students." An enthusiastic audience applauded the performance and Gallon's upbeat view.
The meeting also included the first "Superintendent's Circle of Excellence" recognition of longtime staffers. Each received a certificate, congratulations from board members and hearty applause from the audience. Click here to see the names of those honored.
--Bernice Paglia
Schools Superintendent Steve Gallon III said the Instructional Program review is not about "I gotcha" visits, but is intended to establish a standard "not for one school, but for all schools."
Each of the district's 13 schools will receive a review in the first quarter for five research-based elements: School improvement, data collection and benchmarks, professional development, instructional program management and student services. Subsequent reviews will build on the initial findings.
The so-called "Opportunity for Improvement" recalled the state's monitoring process last February, a one-shot check that resulted in a determination that the district was deficient in four of five performance areas. Gallon said he is not waiting for the state to rank the district, but will implement the site visitation program with the goal of ongoing improvement.
Gallon gave a lengthy presentation of metrics for each area of improvement, as well as rubrics that will pinpoint the level of performance in each school. In answer to questions after his presentation, Gallon said parents and community members will not be invited to join in the site visits and the school board will not get details, but will be informed of trends uncovered in the reviews.
Gallon gave his presentation at Tuesday's first business meeting in the newly-dubbed Administration Building at 1200 Myrtle Avenue. As promised after he took over July 1, Gallon showcased student talent at the beginning of the meeting. On Tuesday, (Correction: Four students, one male and three female, identified only by first names) five dance students of teacher M.A. Taylor performed. Noting the state's designation of Plainfield High School as a "persistently dangerous school," Gallon turned the PDS acronym around to PTS, for "persistently talented students." An enthusiastic audience applauded the performance and Gallon's upbeat view.
The meeting also included the first "Superintendent's Circle of Excellence" recognition of longtime staffers. Each received a certificate, congratulations from board members and hearty applause from the audience. Click here to see the names of those honored.
--Bernice Paglia
posted by Bernice at 8:35 AM
1 Comments:
Schools and other public projects (such as roads, bridges, etc...) usually are expected to have a higher level of quality than normal, private projects.
The 2 other constraints, cost and time, are usually more tolerated when exceeded in public projects than private projects.
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