An update of mid-year progress as of December 31, 2010 is provided in italics.
An update of final progress as of June 30, 2011 is provided in bold italics.
A glossary of terms for the Long Range Strategic Plan (LRSP) is available if the reader clicks on any text that is green. Text with red underline are links to web pages allowing the reader to drill down to information they want to review deeper.
The Board of Trustees of Bozeman School District #7 endorses this implementation framework for 2010-11 to continue progress on the Long Range Strategic Plan (LRSP).
The follow are components of the framework:
1. Continued development of a culture of meaningful change.
Looks Like…
- Attention to the next 3-5 year planning horizon by institutionalizing best practices and realigning and compacting Strategic Objectives to best support focused attention on Strategic Objectives for personalizing education, standards, Response to Intervention (RtI), and Technology.
- Align resources to advance progress on LRSP.
Update 12/31/10: Progress on continued development of a culture of meaningful change includes:
- The LRSP Committee (Denise Hayman, Bruce
Grubbs, Ed Churchill, Kirk Miller, Marilyn King) met on 7/9/10 and
11/8/10 to review the LRSP Implementation Framework 2009-10 Report and
discuss the LRSP Implementation Framework 2010-11. The Board dialogued
about attention to the next 3-5 year planning horizon and aligning
resources to advance progress on the LRSP during the Board Retreat on
9/17/10, setting the tone for establishing this part of the LRSP
Implementation Framework 2010-11.
- Executive Council worked with input from the Instructional Cabinet in the spring/summer of 2010 to establish a draft of the LRSP Implementation Framework 2010-11.
- Draft LRSP Implementation Framework 2010-11 was shared with the entire BSD7 education team
requesting input in August-September 2010. The Framework was revised
to reflect input collected. The Framework was confirmed by the Board of
Trustees in the Superintendent’s Report at the 11/8/10 Board meeting.
- Work is underway to realign and compact the
Strategic Objectives. RtI, standards, and technology dialogue are
assisting the focus on student learning and personalization of
programming for students.
- The Balanced Scorecard and LRSP Action Plan Matrix 2010-11 provide data necessary for aligning resources around priorities in the LRSP.
Update 6/30/11:
- The LRSP Committee (Denise Hayman, Bruce Grubbs, Ed Churchill, Kirk Miller, Marilyn King) met on 6/20/11 to review the LRSP Implementation Framework Report 2010-11 and discuss the LRSP Implementation Framework 2011-12.
- Based on two overarching initiatives, Response to Intervention and Formative Assessment,
which also figured prominently and positively during teacher
negotiations, Strategic Objectives are being realigned and compacted.
Standards, assessment and technology dialogue will underscore the
personalization of instruction for students as we plan for the next 3 – 5
years under our LRSP.
- Status reports were collected for 157 action plans from all schools and departments and are found at LRSP Status Report Matrix 2010-11.
- The District selected Pearson Inform, a
user-friendly product designed specifically for K-12 by a highly
respected company with long-standing success and excellent references,
as its performance management system.
Teachers will use data gleaned from this system to modify instruction
to meet the individual needs of their students. Ultimately, parents will
track their children and school progress. We anticipate the use of
Inform will impact our report card decisions. Pearson Inform will
support our Balanced Scorecard work and will support results-based decision making as part of our LRSP.
- All schools completed their participation in four days of OPI sponsored training in RtI. RtI and Intervention Teams met as a common PLC to provide feedback on unified referrals and shared common practices and their intervention models.
- The Balanced Scorecard was updated.
2. Professional Development for the Bozeman Public Schools Education Team.
Looks Like…
- Leadership training and expansion of leadership
opportunities at all levels to cultivate the District philosophy that
all members of our Education Team are responsible, through their voice,
vision, values, expertise, persistence and caring to build programs that
support children in meeting challenging standards.
- Cultivate Professional Learning Communities (PLC) as a powerful professional development approach and a potent strategy for educational change and student achievement.
- Use Student Achievement Related Days to engage members of our Education Team in meaningful dialogue related to specific Strategic Objectives.
Update 12/31/10: Evidence of progress on all 3 bulleted areas include:
- Our Leadership Team (Instructional Cabinet)
continues professional development on Transformational leadership
(empowering others to their maximum ability), Rigor, Relevance and
Relationships, and Quadrant D
concepts. Dr. Jim Warford, International Center for Educational
Leadership continues to provide our district with consulting in this
area. The Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent attended the
School Administrators of Montana Institute in August 2010 which led to
training for Instructional Cabinet at their retreat on September 9-10,
2010.
- Trustees participated in Rigor, Relevance and
Relationships, and Quadrant D professional development during the Board
Retreat on 9/17/10
- The Leadership Team in each of our schools and
departments used Rigor, Relevance and Relationships, and Quadrant D
concepts as a part of their work with school staff on the Student
Achievement Related day, 8/25/10. The common terminology and simplicity
of description are assisting our school team in moving these concepts
forward as a part of the culture of meaningful change.
- Bozeman High School and both middle schools are using PLC's
as powerful professional development for educational change with focus
on student achievement. Elementary schools are conducting staff
meetings, grade level teams, and math and reading strategies teams as
PLC’s. Instructional Cabinet uses PLC concepts for professional
development and focus on student achievement.
- Student Achievement Related Days
(14 hours) facilitated the ability of our Leadership Team to focus on
quality, thoughtful, team building (ownership) of long range planning as
a culture of meaningful change for our education team and community.
All school teams met on August 25 to dialogue about, create, and revise
Action Plans for 2010-11 with a focus on Strategic Objectives
in their school environment. The remaining 7 hours of time are being
used to continue building a culture of meaningful change using
Professional Learning Communities and differentiated teaching strategies
based on data. Our education team and community understand … "It is
not a race to the finish, but a journey to excellence!"
Update 6/30/11:
- Five Instructional Coaches and 4 administrators attended the Montana Educators Institute, which focused on 21st Century Skills.
- A new approach to professional development was
created and readied for implementation for the 2011-12 school year. It
is geared to give teachers individualized opportunities for
professional development that is important, timely and focused on
further enhancing instruction.
- The instructional coach model was expanded so
that the 2011-12 school year will begin with five K-5 instructional
coaches, one 6-8 instructional coach, and 2.5 9-12 instructional
coaches. The coaching team was expanded with outstanding teachers from
our own ranks who are ready to provide instructional leadership in a new
way.
- The concept of PLC
was made to be "job-embedded" for the 2011-12 school year by scheduling
early releases approximately every eight weeks for teachers to discuss
student achievement and instructional issues.
- Leadership Team training in the form of PLC occurred on 2/2/11, 3/2/11, and 4/6/11, focusing on the Common Core Standards.
3. Seek and provide opportunities to build effective relationships.
Looks Like…
- Use consensus process to continue to reach solutions to challenges.
- Build stronger collaboration with Montana State University.
- Communicate effectively with all stakeholders important to Bozeman Public Schools.
Update 12/31/10: Progress on all 3 bulleted areas includes:
- Consensus process
continues to be used during committee work to create gracious space,
get all voices in the room (inviting the stranger), and allow learning
in public to occur. The Teacher Standards and Evaluation Committee
started this fall under the leadership of HR Director and BEA President
and the consensus process has been used to make progress.
- The Optimization
group (area Trustees and 4 Rivers Superintendent group) created a
regional dialogue on education with legislators, candidates and
concerned citizens from 10 Counties in SW Montana on 10/14/10. The
consensus process was used to develop collective statements around
questions that are important to the future of K-12 education in our
state.
- Development of a broader relationship with
Montana State University to share expertise and resources. Continued
outreach to new President, Waded Cruzado, established regularly
scheduled meetings with the intention of broadening our relationship
with MSU.
- A deeper partnership is being developed with
the College of Technology, now called Gallatin College Program,
emphasizing new efforts to establish career oriented 2 year
post-secondary training in the Gallatin Valley.
- Articulation of dual credit
courses and shared opportunities with MSU has been established and
regular meetings with the President and leadership staff at MSU will
create new opportunities in the future.
- The Superintendent and Board members
participated in "Journey to Excellence" presentations in our community
this fall. These presentations highlighted our planning process,
collaborations, BHS renovation project, and significant accomplishments
of our education team and students for our staff and approximately 5
different community groups.
- Superintendent Advisory Councils
with students, parents, business, certified staff, and classified staff
meet regularly. They continue to promote valuable two-way
communication and dialogue about district-wide items of importance.
- District website is continually updated with
information about our schools with the intention of communicating
effectively with all audiences.
- The Balanced Scorecard is quantifying information about partnerships with our community.
- Beginning work on a "Journey to Excellence"
marketing strategy is underway with the intention of effective
communication with all audiences. Students and highly qualified staff
at BHS are working on TV, radio, web-based and print media materials
that tell the "Bozeman Public Schools Story."
- Board LRSP Report Luncheon meetings have
created an effective environment for communication of the progress our
schools and departments are making on the LRSP.
Update 6/30/11:
- Consensus
negotiations were successfully completed this spring, resulting in a
salary settlement, a school calendar that will provide increased
instructional time, embedded time for PLC work, and personalized professional development opportunities for teachers. RtI and formative assessment were at the core of consensus negotiations.
- Regular meetings with MSU President Waded
Cruzado and Provost Martha Potvin continued with the Superintendent and
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. Discussions
included legislative issues, grant opportunities and dual enrollment.
- Three grants were developed in collaboration with MSU:
- "Improving Middle/Junior High School STEM Student Learning through Interdisciplinary Lessons Augmented by a Virtual Environment."
- Restoration of an Arctic grayling spawning creek in the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
- Explorations with Live Cell Imaging (ELCI)
- The District provided leadership to Success by
6, a team that serves to bring community leaders together to dialogue,
plan, strategize and collaborate to create an agenda that supports
healthy early childhood growth and development. Success by 6 provides
leadership to develop a community wide action plan to improve conditions
for young children and families in the Greater Gallatin area.
- The District fully partnered with Graduation Matters,
a community based team that provides leadership to develop a community
wide action plan to improve conditions for youth families in the Greater
Gallatin area to support 100% high school graduation.
- District and Thrive engaged in discussions about optimizing partnership to meet the changing needs of the District.
- The District expanded collaboration with City
of Bozeman – drafted and submitted a COPS grant and participated in the
hiring process of the School Resource Officer and DARE Officer.
- The District collaborated with Court Services
to acquire funding for and gathered community partners to implement A2X,
a self-contained program developed to serve youth who would qualify for
expulsion or who are at very high risk. A credit recovery program and a
9th grade transitions class was also braided with A2X to provide considerable increased support to at-risk high school students.
- The District LRSP survey was made available to
the following stakeholders: parents, students, community members and
staff members. Results were displayed on the Balanced Scorecard.
- The District provided support to the City of
Bozeman to alert citizens about flood conditions. Fliers were printed
and distributed to students and updated provided by the City of Bozeman
were linked on the District homepage.
- 2011 Legislative Session Actions:
- The LRSP was shared with Legislators
and Legislative Candidates prior to the Session with discussion of the
resources necessary to achieve elements of the plan. 9 of 11
Legislators attended the meetings which included tours of schools to
observe programming and resources allocation.
- BSD7 effectively monitored bills affecting our schools and worked with the Lincolns for Levies (L4L) advocacy group to understand and advocate for bills that would be positive for our students.
- During the session, the BSD7 Balanced Scorecard
became a shining example of accountability and transparency for school
districts across Montana. Significant time was spent with the Speaker
of the House, Senate President and leadership of the House and Senate
using our Balanced Scorecard as an example of why we do not need to
adopt other states' failed efforts to show accountability. BSD7
testified on education funding bills that would support a reduction in
the identified budget shortfall.
- Trustees prepared and passed a
resolution for consideration of the MTSBA delegate assembly with the
goal of optimizing resources. This resolution was written into SB 329,
which became the K-12 school funding bill of the session. Trustees and
the Superintendent worked with the 4 Rivers Optimization Group
and the legislature to seek approval of the bill. SB 329 passed the
legislature and was signed by the Governor with $2 million in funding
set aside for the formation of multi-district cooperatives. BSD7 was a
leader of this legislation intended to improve student achievement and
optimize resources now and in the future.
- The District led and participated in Optimization Task Force discussions. RESA4U
(Regional Education Service Area, Region 4) became a reality this year
to provide opportunities to optimize resources. Our Trustees and the 4
Rivers Superintendent group organized the Gallatin Co. Trustees and
Superintendent group who are partnering to establish effective,
efficient ways to optimize and work together. The Optimization Task
Force has surveyed the RESA4U area to determine services needed and have
also created a concept paper that will be used to set an organizational
structure for applying for funding for the multi-district cooperative
approved by the Legislature in SB 329.
The Bozeman Public Schools Leadership Team is eager to launch the
Plan. Facing scarcity, our resourceful and committed team is poised to
shift to a more site-based model that will allow each school to utilize
resources that will best benefit individual school environments.
Achievement of progress on the Implementation
Framework is the collective, collaborative work of our entire education
team at Bozeman Public Schools. We will continue to use a Framework to
guide us in 2011-12.
Respectfully submitted 6/30/11 by
Kirk. J. Miller, Ed.D.
Superintendent, Bozeman Public Schools