GRAVETTE — Following are promised Gravette Board of Education goals:
Academic improvement tops the list of goals the Gravette School Board has established for School District 20. It involves a 10-point program whichincludes testing, curriculum and technology, as well as increased parental involvement.
Professional development, communications, facilities and fiscal responsibility are the other goals the board has set for schools in the district.
Briefly, under academic improvement, the board’s goal is that Gravette students exceed the state average yearly progress goals and that students perform at or above schools in the region on Iowa Tests for grades K-2 and at 80 percent or above on Benchmark assessments.
Under the ACT testing program, the district will promote the advantage of taking the ACT test several times and willmake the pre-ACT test available to all 10th grade students, with the goal of improving scores.
They also plan to create a feedback loop to the curriculum progress to determine the level of student achievement and work with the district leadership team in the areas of science, math and English language.
Under technology, the goals include integrating educational technology tools and resources, researching and providing a recommendation for the one-on-one digital learning concept, having teachers maintain an active web presence to enhance linkages with parents and providing district-wide technology updates to the board.
In other goals, the district plans:
◊To enhance on- and off-campus vocational opportunities for all students, conduct career awareness days, enhance parental involvement at the middle school level, determine feasibility of adding a tech/career training program, and explore the possibility of sharing resources with nearby schools.
◊To define a baseline measurement for increasing the number or percentage of students participating in advance placement or dual credit classes.
◊ To maintain a goal of increasing to 65 percent the number of graduates in post-secondary programs such as two- and four-year colleges and military service, provide opportunity for GHS students to tour college or university campuses, provide information involving fi nancial assistance prior to graduation, increase awareness of higher education opportunities at the middle school level, provide information to parents about submission deadlines concerning higher education opportunities, and increase the level of involvement between school counselors and parents to increase enrollment at post-secondary institutions.
◊To recruit and organize parent help and support, design forms of school-to-home and home-to-school communication, provide information and ideas to families to assist students at home, integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs.
◊And finally, to determine a goal for measuring and increasing success in career training programs such as the culinary arts program.
Under professional development, the board goals include development of a plan linking professional development to the improvement of teaching and learning, scheduling more sessions of “teachers as trainers,” creatinga plan for professional development with focus on curriculum alignment and transition to learning of Common Core state standards.
Under communications, the board’s goal is to provide electronic district-wide communications promoting student activities, parental involvement calendars and school and district data, produce a semi-annual newsletter highlighting accomplishments of students, provide information to all news media sources of student accomplishments, provide district curriculum to other schools, provide budgetary and per-pupil expenditures and millage levies, and post the student newspaper to the district website.
Under fi scal responsibility, the board plans to develop a three-year forecast of revenues and expenditures, maintain a minimum of 10 percent unencumbered cash balance and continue to allocate revenues on a month-to-month basis for teacher salary funds, general operations, building fund, categorical funds and debt service.
Many of the above listed goals are in place or are being developed as ongoing board goals to maintain and improve the academic and fi scal operation of the district through professional improvement, communications and facilities planning to enhance the four schools of School District 20.
News, Pages 1 on 12/04/2013