Accreditation
Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf and Western Association of Schools and Colleges Action Plan
Goal 1
Improve student proficiency in Language Arts, Math, and Science standards measured by performance results on multiple measures of assessment with a special focus on the success of our identified at-risk subgroups to close the achievement gap.
1.1 Enhance teacher effectiveness through a proactive approach:
- Provide orientation/review of all assessment programs/tools to appropriate teachers/staff for consistent use among departments, including Measures of Academic Progress assessment.
- Have Professional Learning Communities meetings to analyze and discuss data, identify struggling students, strategies to support them, analyze and plan instruction, discuss application of interventions.
- Set up a tutoring program for at-risk students if they are not making enough progress based on various tools provided through Professional Learning Communities.
- Meet with students individually to discuss the meaning of testing scores and their implications and develop student-led achievement goals.
- Strengthen relationship between Curriculum Staff, Teachers and Student Life Staff.
1.2 Identify specific areas of weakness by examining sub-test results:
- Provide training for all teachers and staff who work with Alternate Curriculum Education and at-risk students directly and indirectly with an emphasis on using various instructional strategies.
- Use data and communication between all staff/departments to collaborate on student placement criteria to determine the appropriate educational program for each student.
- Increase the rigor of the instruction to challenge students of all abilities.
- Improve collaboration between Alternate Curriculum Education, High School, and Career Technical Education programs to allow for greater student movement.
- Verify that there is consistency within the course offerings and curriculum, and teachers are collaborating to cover the same material for all courses to allow for mastery of teaching and alignment of subjects (e.g., all 9th grade Bilingual Language Arts students work on the same novels, so as not to repeat the curriculum in 10th grade).
1.3 Improve overall English Literacy scores on measures of English Language Arts skills for 50% or more of the students tested:
- Develop a checklist for each content area to ensure that each teacher and/or principal is following through with goals every year.
- Revisit the concept of having a double period for Language: one for English reading skills and a period for English writing skills that integrate bilingual strategies using ASL to teach English literacy.
- Implement/increase Thinking Maps across all content areas schoolwide.
1.4 Optimize the utilization of California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) resources and assessments to enhance both teacher proficiency and student outcomes:
- Ensure teachers know how to create an account and login to caaspp.org to access CAASPP information.
- Discuss the use of CAASPP practice tests (Interim Block Assessments-IBAs, Interim Comprehensive Assessment-ICA) and Tools for Teachers. Make a department-wide decision on the use of these tools.
- Monitor correlation between increasing SBAC scores and increased College and Career Readiness (CCR) completion to facilitate ongoing success.
1.5 Enhance the effectiveness of science and math assessments, leveraging technology and innovative strategies, while providing targeted support to both teachers and students.
- Measures of Academic Progress Science testing analysis, train teachers to use Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) goals.
- CAASPP math - develop tolerance of signed videos (teachers look at practice questions to learn sign vocabulary that is being used on tests to expose students).
- CAASPP utilizes signed videos for science tests.
- Use CAASPP practice tests for Math and Science.
- Provide strategies to Alternate Curriculum Education teachers in integrating math throughout the curriculum and application to real world experiences.
- Improve Science literacy scores as measured by assessments.
1.6 Prioritize American Sign Language (ASL) integration as a fundamental aspect of the academic experience, encompassing both the reading and writing processes for all students, while also focusing on improving ASL Signacy scores:
- Incorporate ASL in the reading and writing process for all students (Checklist).
- Improve ASL Signacy scores by measures of ASL skills for those students who score below 15 on Social ASL.
1.7 Systematically identify the required components for various portfolios, culminating in the commencement of portfolio building for all students, aligning with a commitment to holistic and structured academic development across different educational stages:
- Identify components that are required for Early Childhood Education and Elementary portfolio, Middle School portfolio, Alternate Curriculum Education portfolio, High School portfolio including "Senior portfolio".
- Develop checklist of requirements for each grade level that evidences smooth transition from Elementary through High School.
- Begin building portfolios for all students.
Goal 2
Create a strong sense of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusive School Community through discourse, team building, policy implementation, and instruction.
2.1 Cultivate a cohesive and inclusive school community through a series of trainings:
- Team-Building and Priming Activities.
- Level Setting Training - Climate Assessment.
- "Conduct Professional Development on topics that help foster a strong sense of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusive School Community.
- Professional Development topics: 1. Personalization: Through a Student's Eyes 2. How to Develop a Relational Suasion with Students, Parents, and the community at large 3. Personalized Learning and the Three Big Buckets
2.2 Enact meaningful instructional changes and cultivate a positive school environment through targeted initiatives:
- Instructional Change and developing appropriate classroom materials.
- Improve school morale by addressing bullying and elitism (favoritism) by providing a) Social Emotional Learning training for staff; b) develop Anti-bullying policy/Anti-elitism policy.
- Provide professional development specific to the role of the staff member (i.e., content area, special education instructional strategies, behavior support, etc.).
- Provide inclusion and differentiated instruction training for all teachers and staff who work with Alternate Curriculum Education and at-risk students that are "mainstreamed" in their class.
- Provide ACE teachers with training and support on the use of various reading strategies in all areas of the curriculum.
2.3 Establish a Task Force focusing on revisiting, revising, and/or developing the current California School for the Deaf, Riverside's preK-12 curriculum with a primary focus on culturally responsive curriculum (using a specific evaluation tool).
- Review and revise curriculum (purchase more if necessary), to make instructional materials more equitable, diverse, and inclusive.
Goal 3
Promote effective school leadership with tools and resources that build and sustain staff, family, and community partnerships.
3.1 Foster effective school leadership through targeted training initiatives:
- Training: How to become more visible and transparent with staff, families, and community members.
- Training: How to share and lead your department's vision.
- Training: How to read and interpret data then provide teachers tools on how to teach materials based on the data.
- Training: How to lead and motivate your team.
- Training with Book Study: How to set and enforce clear expectations.
3.2 Cultivate a dynamic and supportive professional environment:
- Provide training in newly implemented communication methods and information sharing programs (I.e., Office 365, etc.).
- Provide support and mentoring opportunities for inexperienced staff members.
- Identify outside workshops / conferences that will promote leadership skills.
Goal 4
Create a plan to expand and build relationships and resources with deaf education stakeholders in California with a 5-year technology plan for California School for the Deaf, Riverside and Outreach.