Strategy+update

If you play a role in any or many of the following strategies, please update the progress made toward strategy attainment by the designated date listed. Thanks! In progress, concerning about being done in January. Considering a pilot. Completed - Board Report.
 * __Reading__**
 * SA1.1 Convene study group to review and recommend improvements, if any, to the District library program - January 2008.**
 * SA1.2 Implement reading in the content area strategies for middle and high schools - January 2008.**

All middle school core teachers participated in Phase I of the Middle School Literacy Initative in August and September of 2007. Sue Beers facilitated Phase I in two, 3-hour training sessions. Teachers are bringing student work samples to the DCM to share the tools and strategies they are using to help students read and understand content area texts. Sue Beers will be working with middle school encore teachers on January 30, 2008. SL

27 Middle school social studies, SPED, and ELL teachers participated in Intel Teach to the Future class. The class content was focused on standards that middle school students scored low in: reading comprehension, finding and evaluating information, and using multiple sources to study a topic. Using the new Intel curriculum, middle school teachers developed lessons plans and units that integrated 21st Century Life Skills. Many units integrated SMART Boards, Blogs, and Wikis. Unit plans included essential questions, unit questions, content questions, and assessments and assessment timelines. Teachers implemented the lessons and units and are expected to collaborate with each other about how the units are going. An additional class (25 left to take) will be offered for the rest of the middle school social studies, SPED, and ELL teachers to attend. SL January 30th the encore teachers will attend Sue Beers, Middle School principals funding this.

15 high school content teachers attended 3- hour Sue Beers training September 24-26. Teachers are to share strategies in building level collaboration and will be asked to bring student work samples to the January 2 inservice to share the tools and strategies they are using to help high school students read and comprehend content area textbook and resource material. Reading strategies are also being reviewed during fall DCM where teachers have been asked to bring lessons supporting reading in the content. CO'B

High school requested ASCD reading and writing in the content binders as resources to use in their schools. 2008-09 inservice planning will include reading and writing sessions for all content areas. CO'B 3/31/08

March 30, 2008. SL. The middle school District Literacy Team will meet on April 30, 2008, to evaluate the Sue Beers' training, the building literacy PD, and the use of the literacy tools and strategies in classroom instruction.

The elementary committee is currently piloting the two resources. A decision will be made a the meeting in December. We are also reviewing, again, the standards, essentials and academic vocabulary. rm\
 * SA1.3 Identify the elementary, middle and high school reading/language arts curriculum delivery models and assessment options - January 2008.**

The elementary committee met on December 3rd and agreed on published materials to support the written curriculum. Marie and I are putting cost proposals together for budget purposes. These are the materials chosen- Macmillan/McGraw Hill Treasures (classroom teachers), Treasure Chest (ELL teachers) and Triumphs (sped teachers). The reading materials support the need for tiers of intervention (instruction) to meet the needs of all students. Through the pilot we heard from many teachers that the students were so excited that what they were studying in the classroom was being studies in the ELL or sped classroom...same vocabulary, theme, etc.

We will also recommend using Write Source for writing support. We will use the DRA2 kits for K-5. These assessments will level students and guide instruction. This is a change. In the past, we have only used the DRA assessment K-3. rm and mr

The resources, assessments and pacing guides are being written to correlate with the essentials skills. The goal will be to have the full essentials guides completed by the end of May. All first quarter guides (and maybe more) will be in the teachers' hands before the end of the school year. rm and mr 1/21/08

The essentials guides are being finalized and will be presented to teachers on May 1st. The essentials guides will have significant tasks included for each quarter. Deadline date for all four quarters to be completed is May 28, 2008. They will be copied and presented to all staff in August. Materials are beginning to arrive in buildngs. The DRA2 kits and Write Source materials are here. Macmillan/McGraw Hill will be arriving soon. Training options for the new materials are being planned and scheduled. Some voluntary meetings will be held this spring. The rest will take place beginning in August. rm and mr 3/10/08

All DRA2 and Write Source materials are in the buildings. The Macmillan/McGraw Hill materials started arriving on Thursday and Friday. We should be in good shape with materials before the end of the school year.

Reading Committee members will be trained on April 10th, to prepare for the April 28, May 1 and August 14th professional development sessions. These sessions will highlight the essentials guides, significant tasks, resources used to teach essential skills, and assessment.

Two DRA initial trainings are set for April 24th and April 28th for teachers who want a head start with the new editions of these assessments. A full calendar of professional development is being designed for the next school year. rm and mr 3/31/08

Elementary special education teachers will attend training on Tucker Signing Strategies on Wed., May 21, 2008. Dr. Bethanie Tucker will be leading this training. Elementary cluster teachers have been writing the Alternate Language Arts Curriculum guide. The teachers are developing theme based literacy units based on the alternate reading and language arts content standards for Tier 3 instruction. rm and mr 4/1/08

Middle School Language Arts/Reading Delivery Model The middle school language arts/reading curriculum will continue to use a readers and writers workshop model of instruction. The purchased materials will include reading texts and literacy instructional materials that meet the needs of all students including ELL, SPED, Cluster, and Lit Zone students. Write Source materials will support writing instruction.

The pacing guides and course outlines will be written this spring. The end of year reading assessments will be revised during the summer.

Curriculum training and professional development will take place before June 1, 2008.

High School English/Language Arts The high school committee is in the the process of standard alignment, development of essential guides for all high school English courses. Selection of textbooks and resource materials has been completed. Identification of novel selections is in process. High school librarians have been involved in supporting the selection of novels. High school department chairs are taking the lead in coordinating the novels at their schools, and communicating District-wide with other department chairs as final lists are brought foward. McDougal Littell national Language Arts consultant, librarian, and textbook representative have provided resource lists of novels available with the textbook adoption. Deadline for finalizing a District-wide selection list is April 7, 2008. Specific attention has been placed on providing choice for student reading and integration for grammar instruction. High school teacher committees have been meeting to develop significant tasks and common assessments. A deadline for finalizing all English curriculum is May 29, 2008. Text materials requisitions have been placed for teachers to have resource materials spring 2008. A professional development team with representation from each high school has been established and will meet in April to develop a inservice plan for the first year of implementation. Curriculum training and professional development will take place May 28-29, 2008.

Joe Foss English Delivery Cheryl O'Brien and Dave Yost coordinated Joe Foss teacher meeting on English curriculum delivery at Joe Foss. English teachers reviewed the APEX online curriculum. Teachers recommended that online courses be provided to Joe Foss students in English I, English II, American Literature, British and World Literature. Speech, Composition, Creative Writing, Modern Literature will have student individualized study packets for delivery. Teams of teachers, including Joe Foss teachers and traditional high school teachers, have been identified to begin the writing the individualized study packets this spring.

ELL High School English ELL teachers have aligned standards and are in process of developing essentials guides for all high school English courses. Selection of textbooks and resource materials are in process. Data and professional recommendation through FAME teachers and ELL teachers is to develop a new course, "Basic Reading", for students who are not sufficiently prepared for success in the course "F-Foundations of Reading". ELL and Special Services teachers will develop the Basic Reading course. CO'B 3/31/08

The K-12 Steering committee had it's final meeting on 1/15/08 and reviewed a draft of the report to the Board and acknowledged the philosophy statement and the concept of the significant task. Rich, Sandy, and Cheryl each shared updates and progress information from the instructional level committees. An invitation to preview instructional materials is posted on the website. FA

Completed - Board Report 1/28/08. FA

Have met to establish criteria of students enrolled in program. Will collect data on enrolled students at end of year. SS Finished second day of training. Worked with Bob to get a special check mark on Infinite campus. Having better success with 6th and 7th; 8th grade not has excited. Still have some glitches in implementing the model, now getting some drift. Need a coach from the company to come in to model for teachers. The Read 180 gave the SRI during the first couple of weeks. The next one is scheduled for Dec 10-14. That is when we were going to look at the data. JK
 * SA1.4 Evaluate the Read 180 pilot program at Axtell Park and Whittier Middle Schools - August 2008.**

The District purchased another day of coaching for the Read 180 Teachers. This coaching involved a Scholastic representative observing one 90 minute class period to evaluate the delivery. Both teachers were observed and the results were excellent. The representative praise the teachers and the District for implementing the mode;l with fidelity. In addition the representative reviewed the reports that could be used with students to show their growth. The results of the most recent SRI scores (March) were very positive. We look forward to the results at the end of the school year. 4/1/08 JKD

Data was reviewed on 1/10/08. FA Data reviewed on 3/17/08 - excellent progress. FA

We are continuing to observe, train and gather data. Evaluation will be completed in the spring. rm A KLRN Footnotes show was taped and is now running to outline what CGI is, what it looks like in the classroom and how parents can help their children with their work. A copy of the DVD will be given to each principal to use in their building with teachers and/or parents. rm
 * __Math__**
 * SA2.2 Evaluate the SD Math Counts grant strategies and training - May 2008**.

Sue is continuing to gather data and observations summaries that will be used to evaluate the SD Math Counts grant/training. Sue has shared options for principals to consider as they plan for training next year. These include 16-20 45 minute sessions that can be used at any time during the year. They will also offer Red Apple courses during the summer and school year as another option for gaining the training and strategies relating to Algebra. rm 1/21/08

Training sessions are being scheduled for the Algebra portion of the SD Math Counts grant. Most buildings are choosing to run their training in May. Some teachers will take the training in after school sessions throughout the next school year. Sue is continuting to gather data for the District and state reports. rm 3/31/08

HS SpEd math teachers met at the end of 1st quarter to evaluate the new curriculum; may need to make adjustments to the pacing guides. Teachers plan to meet again at the end of the semester. cjc
 * SA2.3 Implement and evaluate effectiveness of K-12 SPED math curriculum - June 2008.**

The essentials guides were evaluated and rewritten to meet the changes suggested by teachers. Separate Expressions guides were also developed as teachers move from a blended approach to one with just Expressions and CGI. A review of all vocabulary was completed. A chart highlighting the vocabulary we must teach from grade-to-grade was developed. This list is also being reviewed between the elementary and middle school levels. rm 1/21/08

HS SpEd : currently surveying math teachers. cjc 3/31/08

EL SpEd: August 2007: Elementary special education teachers attended a 2 hour math curriculum overview training. Resource/Bridges and cluster teacher trainings included review of the curriculum/essentials guide, overview of math materials, assessments and technology resources for implementing the new curriculum. October 4, 2007: Elementary special education teachers attended a Director Called meeting focusing on elementary math curriculum implementation. Training topics included: review of math tiers of instruction, math vocabulary and direct vocabulary instruction strategies, and an overview of the Expressions math series by Rich Meier. November 2007: Elementary sped teachers were surveyed using Survey Monkey to determine math training needs for January 2 in-service. January 2, 2008: Elementary Special education teachers had the option to attend a session on Cognitively Guided Instruction lead by a Resource Teacher who also serves as her building's math teacher leader. March 31, 2008: Elementary special education teachers complete a survey on the implementation of the new elementary special education math curriculum. 4/1/08 mr

MS SpEd: Currently surveying math teachers JKD 4/1/08

First meeting coming up, committee is set up. Two teacher from each level of grades 6th, 7th, and 8th.
 * __Science__**
 * SA3.1 Develop the middle school accelerated science curriculum - January 2008.**

The committee recommended that Accelerated Science be implemented in grade 6 in the fall of 2008. The curriculum will be written and the materials will be selected this spring. The principals will suggest enrollment criteria.

Final committee meeting will be held on March 31, to select resources and to set PD dates for the summer of 2008. The MS principals recommended enrollment criteria. Board report - April 28, 2008. (SL 3-31-08)

High school science curriculum is currently being aligned to state content and technology standards. An analysis of the standard alignment will provide data on use of all standards covered in the State assessment to be used Spring 2008. Currently the courses are not aligned to the standards. CO'B
 * SA3.2 Review the vertical alignment and course sequence of the 6-12 science curriculum - April 2008**.

6-12 science committee of middle and high school teachers, couselors, administration has met to address alignment of middle and high school science courses and communication for students, parent/guardians, counselors and faculty. Committee has focused on 8-9th grade transition and selection of courses at the freshman year. Committee work includes review of data on student enrollments and grades specific to courses. Discussion has included developing a sequence that would provide for multiple entry points for incoming ninth grade students which would support student interests and skills. Teachers have taken the concept back to their individual schools and have been asked to develop possible science sequences based on the committee goal of multiple entry points for ninth graders. Next meeting is April 1, 2008. CO'B 3/31/08

The science curriculum has been implemented. We will provide another inservice on Jan. 2 for all staff. rm
 * SA3.3 Implement/evaluate the K-5 science/health curriculum - June 2008.**

Training was presented during the Jan. 2nd inservice day. We reviewed what an inquiry-based classroom looked like and actually participated in experiments teachers will be using with students during the last part of the school year.

Many teachers are concerned about the amount of supplies needed as replacements for next year. An expansion level was developed and will be presented during the budget process to purchase them district-wide and ship them to the buildings. rm 1/21/08

The training in January will focus on the inquiry approach and what that should look like in the classroom. A survey will be given in February and March to all elementary teachers. That feedback will help to evaluate the curriculum and also see what may need to be refined. rm

Fred will have the summary of the elementary science implementation on Wednesday, March 12, 2008. The summary will include survey data and addtional information on improvements for next year. rm 3/10/08

Summary was submitted to Fred on Marc 12th. The summary reviewed the survey and observation data and listed several areas for improvement for 2008-09. We will, if budget is approved, provide schools with the science lab materials necessary to allow children to have hands-on learning experiences. More 5 E-cycle training will be woven into the meetings held with teachers. rm 3/31/08

In November, a document was prepared the lists the critical attributes of a significant task, along with a rubric to determine if the significant task meets the intended requirements. The document has been shared with people working on curriculum writing and also has been shared in Cabinet on January 15. FA
 * __21st Century Life Skills__**
 * SA4.1 With each District curriculum study, embed 21st Century life skills (i.e., analytical thinking, finding and evaluating information, communicating, problem solving, collaborating) - on**going. Need a rubric for design and evaluation of significant tasks - complete in November.

21st Century skills are embedded into the elementary tiered essentials guides. The committee members are also writing significant tasks that will support 21st Century skills and thinking. rm and mr 1/21/08

The significant tasks are starting to take shape and they are including many of the 21st Century skills. We believe this will be one way for these skills to be integrated into classroom instruction and learning. rm and mr 3/31/08

Elementary cluster teachers are integrating 21st century skills into the Alternate Language Arts curriculum. Teachers have begun to develop ideas for incorporating quarterly significant tasks into literacy units. mr and rm 4/1/08

21st Century skills will be integrated in the MS Language Arts/Reading Curricula and specifically into the quarterly significant tasks. Some teachers continue to think of 21st Century skills as technology. SL 3-31-08.

21st Century skills are integrated into High School English/Language Arts curriculua through quarterly significant tasks. Ongoing work in this area will be needed. CO'B 3/31/08

HS SpEd: significant tasks for lang arts are under development as part of the study; utilizing a template to provide consistency in the development of sig tasks. cjc 3-31-08

MS Sped: The committees have been working hard to develop curriculum that is aligned to the regular education curriculum. The committee will continue to work to add significant tasks and inbed 21st Century Life Skills into the written curriculum. JKD 4/1/08

Curriculum Coordinators and Supervisors are using the McRel Power WalkThrough software to document the prevalence of 21st Century Skills in the classroom. During the month of September, 145 data points were collected. FA As of December 4, 2007, we had 428 data points. FA
 * SA4.2 Evaluate the presence of 21st Century Skills within daily instruction - May 2008.**

I would like to brainstorm, with principals, ways to elevate knowledge level lessons to 21st century lessons. SL 3-31--08

Once we have more data, we will need to work with princpials and instructional coaches to support more usage. rm 3/31/08

I echo the statements listed above. I would like to brainstorm with principals and department chairs support for 21st century lessons which engage high school students. CO'B 3/31/08

The committee has met twice in discussion of this strategy. Research shows nationally options for K-12 credit-by-exam including Credit by Exam for recovery, requiring students to earn 70% on an assessment of knowledge and skills. A second option is titled Exam fo Acceleration where studetns achieve a minimum score of 90 percent on grade level exams in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. A third option that has been discussed is allowing a compacting of curriculum. Students would take a preassessment, diagnosing their skill deficients and then participate in instruction for these skill areas and take the post assessment. A third meeting has been scheduled to talk with Sharon Schueler in Assessment. The committee continues to have discussion on how this option could benefit students. CO'B Conversation about offering more courses for credit by exam and recovery for failed courses. Texas as a model that is being studied. Questions about how it is implemented and managed.
 * __High School Graduation__**
 * SA5.1 Implement a plan for students in alternative programs to earn credit-by-exam - January 2008.**

Discussion with high school principals and assistants expressed interest on offering course equivalency exams to students in both the traditional and alternative sites. Board report recommended aligning to the State DOE effort and offering course equivalency exams online through the Achievement Series. Contact with the DOE for the waiver process has been made. Board report written and presented. COB 3/31/08

Completed - Board Report on 3/24/08 FA

Data is used across departments for developing goals for improvement on specific standards on district semester exams. The real issue is what teachers can do in the classroom everyday. All high schools monitor grades and attendance of 9th grade students, specifically pulling grades at midterm. An effort to schedule 9th grade students wo that they have the same teachers both 1st and 2nd semester has been initiated. An effort to increase communication with parents at all high schools is ongoing. Lessons of Rigor and Relevance are being created and shared at LHS. Daily Ad rooms work to build positive relationships and develops a cohort for students in their 4 years of high school. Providing support groups for students in English and Math, with teachers who care works. An Assistant Principal has been assigned to work directly with 9th grade students. LHS developed an L-POD to structure a peer-to-peer mentoring effort for 9th graders. Expansion of peer mentoring will be ongoing. Letters to parents/buardians provide communication of efforts in mentoring. Adult mentors are assigned to targeted 9th and 10th graders, with coordination through the building Success Coordinator. At RHS Administration took the 80 lowest performing students in MS and assigned one teacher for English and one for Math in a 'team' effort of approximately 20 students. The remainder of the day, 9th grade students are mixed within classes. RHS implemented Everyone Talks, which provides students individual support in study for 9th grade students. RHS also hired a SNAG teacher who follows up with 9th grade students/families to ensure that students are in school and taking advantage of support. RHS is concentrating on building relationships with all freshman students. Link Alert, a process where teachers completes information on 9th grade student. A Link Leader meets with the student individually to provide academic support and develop a relationship. An adult mentoring program has been implemented. WHS provides subject specific study halls opposite lunch and after school study tables. Foundation level courses provide small class sizes in both English and Math. Staff collaboration has been restructured to include development of common formative assessments in underperforming standards on the district semester tests. The rationale for their collaboration is "It's all about the kids!" where professional learning communities meet week using 2007-2008 data for improvement. WHS implemented Reading Buddies (WHS Reads) in an effort to support students needing reading skill development. WHS administration supported reading specialists in both teh special education and English departments to develop teacher skills in reading in the content. WHS and WMS have met and planned transition strategies for incoming 9th graders. Teachers spend time in classrooms at each level to understand the instructional needs of students. A freshman welcome program is in place, along with peer and adult mentoring programs. Joe Foss school implemented Project ROCK to assist incoming 9th graders. Small class size and individual instruction in reading and math provide support for students to succeed. Teacher post cards have been mailed to students/families to build relationships. Phone calls are made home to students in support of good work and concern over attendance. All schools have SAT teams, Success Coordinators in place for individaul student staffing. Ongoing discussion occurs on the academic needs and characteristics of a 9th grade team at high school. CO'B
 * SA5.4 Each high school develop and pilot a ninth grade transition plan that reduces the percentage of ninth grade semester grade failures by 50% - July 2010.**

A 9th grade intervention report is being written to summarize the building level intervention strategies that have been implemented by each high school and its impact on reducing the percentage of ninth grade semester grade failures. High school principals have verified the strategies that have been implemented and Sharon Schueler has provided the District data. CO'B 3/31/08

The South Dakota Starting Strong Pre-K Pilot currently has 85 three year olds participating, There are five partner organizations which represent 8 pre-k sites: Volunteers of America - Dakotas, with Parent Child Learning Center (PCLC), Child Care and Family Literacy Center (CCFL), and Circle of Hope; Youth Enrichment Services with sites at N. Main and 14th Street; Kidz Club Preschool; Excel Discovery; and the Sioux Falls School District with a site at Mark Twain. Training opportunities have been provided throughout the school year with the focus on adult-child interaction; social-emotional development of young children, and the SD Early Learning Guidelines. The trainings have occurred one evening each month and 4 full day (Saturday) opportunities. Partner site directors meet on a montly basis to ensure a continued forward movement with the pilot. Research on the growth for children, parents, and providers is ongoing. Dr. Gera Jacobs, from USD is leading the research component of the pilot. We are currently moving into the planning steps for the second year of the pilot as we will have the returning 85 children, who will now be four and we will add 60 three year olds. (VP 4-1-07) Board report provided to SFSD board on November 26, 2007 Summary - 2007 is the fourth year of reporting District data as part of the District Early Childhood program longitudinal analysis. The children in this study entered the Early Childhood program with either significant developmental delays or socio-economic challenges. The benefits of early intervention services are illustrated by knowing that a majority of the children are performing at an average to above-average level on the District end-of-year reading and math tests. Overall, 62.4% of the students who received Early Childhood services six months or longer performed within the average to above average range of performance as measured by the District-developed reading end-of-year tests for Grades 1 – 5 compared to 61.9% of the students in the 2006 study. Also, overall 60.8% of the students who received Early Childhood services six months or longer performed within the average to above average range of performance as measured by the District-developed mathematics end-of-year tests for Grades 1 – 5 compared to 61.1% of the students in the 2006 study. Yearly progress will continue to be reported in order to monitor the performance target: By July 1, 2010, 70% of the preschool participants will perform within the average to above-average range of their grade-level peers on District reading and math assessments.
 * __Pre-Kindergarten__**
 * SA7.1 Implement South Dakota Pre-K pilot program - Fall 2007**.
 * SA7.2 Review District longitudinal data on effectiveness of early childhood models - November 2007**.

The Early Childhood Community Collaboration Group is comprised of representatives from community childcare partners, health organizations, child development organizations, and parents. This group meets twice during the year to discuss community needs related to early childhood, develop strategies for training opportunities, and provide collaboration activities for individuals and groups involved in early childhood / child care within the Sioux Falls Community. In the fall, a collaboration opportunity was provided for the Hawthorne Early Childhood and Kindergarten staff, staff from Youth Enrichment Services (N. Main), and VOA-Dakotas (CCFL) to discuss social-emotional development of young children and strategies to support their development. SFSD Psychologist, Jim Calmus, led the discussion. Training opportunities focues on adult-child interaction; social-emotional development, and the SD Early Learning Guidelines has been provided throughout the year. On March 27, 2008, //"Here Comes Kindergarten!" An Informational Event for Child Care Professionals// was held at Terry Redlin Elementary. A general session with an overview of Kindergarten curriculum and daily routine was provided. Break out sessions were available following the general session for participants to attend for further information on how to help young children and their families be prepared for Kindergarten. The breakout session topics included: Language and Vocabulary Development; Social Emotional Development; Disability Awareness; Top 10 Tips to Help Parents Prepare for Kindergarten; SD Early Learning Guidelines; and Learning Through Play. The EC Community Collaboration Group will meet again at the beginning of May to discuss this year's events and begin planning for 08-09.
 * SA7.3 Establish a process for routine collaboration and communication with early childhood providers in the community - January 2008.**

Will evaluate with a student and teacher survey along with end-of-course assessment (semester test). SS Sharon will put a survey together and seek comments from the teacher. Completed. FA
 * __Student Achievement__**
 * SA8.1 Evaluate RHS Health/PE combined course pilot - January 2008.**

Curriculum and equipment is currently being implemented and going well. Program Improvement Plans for the State CTE Office are being completed. A more formal survey will be completed after first semester. CO'B Ann Davis reports it is going well, some copyright issues. MS is piloting the state Tech Test in the ICT curriculum. All MS CTE and ICT aligned to all standands, yet need more detailed lessons. HS CTE has had a good implementation, looking at national certificatiion in some courses. Can't keep up with the enrollment requests, just not enough course offerings available. Getting courses as CTE approved and articulate to STI. Home builders and Auto Dealers are purchasing equipment and providing internships. Ann Davis - recommend moving photography to fine arts curriculum cycle - need to realign cycle.
 * SA8.2 Evaluate first year implementation of the 6-12 Applied Arts curriculum - June 2008.**

High school CTE report curriculum implementation and equipment continue to go well. Individual teachers have requested professional development on specific equipment items and are being accomodated. Upcoming plan will be to structure focus groups for feedback from high school CTE students and the curriculum implementation. CO'B 3/31/08

Have meet 3 times with committee, now have budget consideratiions. Frisbee golf, ultimate Frisbee. Thinking of 6 week at 2/week. Interscholastic a bit more difficult due to High School Activities association. Lot of cons with both cheer and dance, provacativeness - yet we need more girl sports. Soccer being added as a sanctioned sport in 2010 and 2011. Need some direction from Dr. Homan at this time.
 * SA8.3 Establish a community based committee to design a plan for expansion of intramural programs at the middle and high school levels - June 2008**.

Goes to a Board work session on February 5th. FA

Will evaluate with data gathered by virual coursework teachers along with credits/grades received. First data gathering will be end of S1. SS Students are not registered on TSIS - now only on Learning Center. Bob going to get in touch with Cheryl. The process for implementing students into the system has been clarified through high school principal and teacher meetings and email communication. CO'B 3/31/08
 * SA8.4 Evaluate virtual coursework pilot - June 2008.**

Will work with Gail to get her any data she needs. SS Part of the district plan on hold - waiting for guidance from the state. Lakota going very well - concerns about how that will expand next year. 19 at WHS and 17 at LHS - better attendance and fewer office referrals for kids in Lakota and NAC. New curriculum materials were ordered from the Lakota Language Consortium for Lakota 1 class to be used beginning second semester. The LLC curriculum is used by 32 schools in South Dakota including Pine Ridge, Cheyenne River, Standing Rock, Rosebud and Crow Creek reservations and 6 non-reservation schools. Included with the curriculum is on-line pre- and post- testing and two teacher trainings. The next training is scheduled for June 2008. Unfortunately, our Lakota instructor resigned the day before second semester began, so we are in the process of posting the position for next fall. gs
 * SA8.5 Evaluate effectiveness of second year of Indian Education five-year plan - June 2008**.

We have had our first meeting and will meet again in November. The goal is to review current offerings and align K-12. rm
 * SA8.6 Establish a K-12 Study Committee to review the gifted education program alignment - July 2008.**

During the November meeting areas (gaps) were highlighted. The committee will continue to work to suggest ways we could make the program better. The areas are: Middle School- Look at a screening tool to be used during the referral process to identify some students needing services who may not be referred for testing. Middle and High School- Study ways to support gifted program students with high school registration. In the past the middle school gifted program teachers have never received the high school Course Book and haven't been able to help guide their students. High School- Look for ways to identify at-risk students and students from testing subgroups who could benefit from AP course offerings. All levels- Study ways to support the at-risk gifted program students. rm

A list of targeted areas have been developed. They include- 1) Providing a screening tool for middle school teachers to use to make sure they are identifying students needing services. The Naglieri is being considered for a pilot at Whittier and Axtell Park to see if it is useful as a screening tool. 2) Better transitions to support proper placement in high school courses (during the high school registration process). -A high school Course Book will be sent to each middle school gifted program teacher prior to registration. -A time will be set up when high school gfted program students can tali to middle school gifted program students about choices that are available to them. -Identified Gifted Program student lists will be sent from the middle school to the high school. This will support the connection between incoming students and high school advisors. 3) Develop a plan for supporting gifted program students who may be at risk. Timeframes and action plans are being written to make sure that these items get accomplished. rm 1/21/08

The Gifted Review Committee will be reviewing the document which includes the action plan listed above and the action plan for helping students who may be at-risk at the end of March. Once changes are made based on the committee suggestions, the document will be given to Fred and Pam. rm 3/10/08

The Gifted Program Review Committee met for the last time on March 27, 2008. Minor changes were made to the documents. An action plan targeting a screening tool for possible middle school use, better transitions between middle and high school and a plan for students who may be at-risk was completed and turned into Fred Aderhold on March 28, 2008. Completed- 3/28/08 rm

The HS committee completed research and discussions; a panel presentation will be offered to HS SpEd teachers on 4/15/08 to iform teachers of recommendations and plans for F'08 pilot. cjc/dmw 3-31-08
 * SA8.7 Study service deliveries of 6-12 Special Education programs - August 2008.**

The MS service delivery was studied in conjunction with the study of the middle school schedule and changes have been taken to the School Board and planning for implementation is in place. dmw 3-31-08 jkd
 * SA8.8 Develop a middle school schedule that increases academic core time while maintaining the middle school model - August 2008.

SA8.10 Evaluate the effectiveness of the Learners to Leaders program - June 2009.** Will collect demographic data along with completers and credits earned. SS Meetings with Sharon, Cheryl, and Erin have occured. A report of first semester results will be drafted. CO'B 3/31/08


 * SA8.11 Explore options and models of middle school specialized programs - July 2009.**

Will survey students, staff, and parents/guardians Year One?? SS
 * SA8.12 Evaluate effectiveness of the math, science, technology specialized elementary school - July 2009.**

Wade is gathering survey data and other information that will be used for this review. rm 1/21/08 Survey was completed and a summary put together by Wade on 1/8/08. The report mirrors the outcomes of the feedback session held on 1/16/08. FA

Feedback session with teachers was held on 1/16/08 at Lowell. Concerns that emerged were: 1) difficulty in managing a inquiry based classroom when classroom sizes are large; 2) not able to move from guided inquiry to full inquiry; 3) some struggle getting enough language arts time due to 90 minutes math/science; 4) preparing for inquiry classes takes time for setup; 5) some concern about high student mobility and students not benefitting from cumulative years of experiences in the MST school; 6) new math curriculum too hard; 7) student behavior can be a problem during small group discovery work; 8) extensive training in the Responsive Classroom model would be good; 9) need for an action plan to address concerns. While a couple of teachers questioned the merit of Lowell being a MST school, the overwhelming response was that this is good for kids, especially kids of poverty; the kids are learning about inquiry and using the language; the teachers want to make this work; field trip experiences are great for building backgound knowledge; Wade and Doug are excellent support persons. FA

We are attending conferences at Rosa Parks this fall to answer any question parents may have. rm We attended conferences at Rosa Parks and by the end of the sessions, 85% of the families are in favor of this type of curriculum change. rm
 * SA8.13 Develop and implement the elementary global studies/world language specialized school - August 2009.**

A letter was sent to each family at R. Parks asking them to sign if they were not in favor of the global studies, world language and immersion strand. So far no signatures have been returned. rm 1/21/08 ' Two family informational nights have been held this month (March 2008). Currently 17 students are signed up for the kindergarten immersion classroom. The meetings have been very positive and parents seemed interested in the new specialized component. Materials lists and costs are being developed for next fall. rm 3/10/08

June Gaston and I visited Park Spanish Immersion School in St. Louis Park to gain ideas on implementing an immersion program in Sioux Falls. We now have 25 students for the Kindergarten class and a few on a waiting list for this year. We are already getting quite a few on the waiting list for next year's kindergarten class as well. June and I met with the Immersion teacher on Friday, March 28th. We discussed program expectations and resources needed for this first year. 3/31/08 rm


 * SA8.14 Identify the middle and high school Global Studies/World Language curriculum and assessments - January 2010.**


 * ELL Review- The ELL Review Committee has been meeting to outline the current program and develop a handbook for District use. A flow chart has been developed and the handbook outline is the next item of business. The goal will be to have materials explaining the ELL program available for ELL staff, classroom teachers, administrators, etc. This handbook will include criteria for placement and dismissal. rm, sl, co, kd**

The ELL Committee has assigned areas of the handbook to various groups of people. A meeting in March will be used to combine the sections, review the handbook and make suggestions on refinements. The goal will be to have this in place by Fall 2008. rm, sl, co, kd 1/21/08

Handbook items will be shared on 3/25. Any changes will be made at that time. The handbook will be printed and placed on the District website over the summer. rm 3/10/08

The Handbook is going through final editing this week. We will wait for the state ELL meetings at the end of April to include the changes to assessments in the handbook. Once that data is complete, the handbook will be placed on the District website and also given to each school for use in August. 3/31/08 rm

SD1.1 Work with colleges and universities to place minority students into student teacher positions - ongoing**. On 10/19/07 had phone conversation with Cheryl Mederius at Sinte Gleska about student teachers being assigned to Sioux Falls. She was very interested and supportive. Requested from us a one-page letter that would outline or list the variety of student teaching opportunities in Sioux Falls. Many of their students are non-trads with family responsibilities, but the younger ones may be interested in coming to SF - many have relatives with whom to stay. FA On 11/20/07, a recruitment poster was sent to Cheryl Mederius for her approval. Karla Abbott agreed to host a student if needed. FA As of 12/26/07 I have left 3 different phone messages for Cheryl Mederius as a follow up to the recruitment poster and none have been returned. FA As of 1/21/08 I have left a total of 6 messages on Cheryl's phone and have had no response. FA
 * __Staff Development__

Tracy Vik, DeeAnn Konrad and Becky Dorman will meet on Jan 24th, 2008 with Rachell Loven (USF) and Donna Magnussen (LSS) to brainstorm possibilities of refugees working in our classrooms. TV


 * SD1.3 Provide information sessions to diverse populations about employment opportunities in the District**.

This fall, HR attended a job fair for veterans and disabled veterans. I know that this population is not the "minority group" that the District is focusing upon, however, from an HR standpoint I feel they should be included. As in years past, HR will be attending the Diversity job fairs held in the Spring. Also, Tracy and I have a meeting with USF (R. Loven) and LSS (D. Magnusen) to brainstorm ideas of how the District can better reach minority populations and learn of the skills and education that our minority populations already possess. USF is involved because they are interested in learning the same information. This meeting in on January 10. DeeAnn and I have also set a meeting for January 8. BD Becky will contact Sanford or Avera to find out what type of diversity training they offer for staff. DeeAnn and Becky discussed ways to make our new diverse staff feel welcome and supported in the job assignments. Becky is searching out information on the Annual National Minority Careers in Education Expo in April. The Expo is held in NY City. Becky has requested to serve as the "employer contact" on LSS's advisory committee. Becky and Donna Magnusen are working to schedule a meeting time in April to discuss this opportunity. 3-30-08 BD Becky worked with Cara Hart to establish a list of locations, newspapers, etc., for SFSD job postings so they are more visible to individuals of diverse cultures and backgrounds in our community. A list of 20 locations/organizations was developed. Tamee is contacting these locations/organizations for permission to post SFSD jobs. 3-30-08 BD HR was invited to the Veteran's Job Fair on August 13 at the VFW on Minnesota Ave. HR attended this fair last year and will attend again in August. 3-31-08 BD HR subscribed to Teachers-Teachers.com, granting access to 500,000 teacher candidates from the US and abroad and increasing opportunities to attract culturally diverse staff. 3-31-08 BD A

Goals for 08-09: Offer "Refugee 101" training to custodial staff to foster a more supportive working environment for our diverse workers. The Bhutanese and Iraq refugees expected to arrive in Sioux Falls during the next year possess some English-speaking skills. HR will collaborate further with LSS to "recuit" these individuals Continue to seek out locations and publications to post jobs. Explore writing job ads in other languages to reach diverse workers. Participate in the Diversity Conference on November 11, 2008, at the Pavilion. Travel to attend job fairs in other states to reach a more diverse pool of candidates. BD 6-17-08

First meeting scheduled for November 15. FA The meeting was held on 11/5. Excellent discussion on how we can promote professional growth and maintain accountability. The committee is reading "Linking Teacher Evaluation and Student Learning" to be discussed at our next meeting on January 7th. FA The committee continues to make progress toward a revised model. For our next meeting on February 6th, committee members are reviewing two models - one used in Chamberlain and developed by Ed Porthan, and the other from Iowa that uses a similar approach. FA
 * SD1.4 Review and recommend improvements to the teacher evaluation process - May 2008**.

The Committee has met several times and a draft is completed. 3/29/08 FA


 * SD2.1 Deliver a staff development plan and offerings that provide both required and optional pathways for classified staff - ongoing**.

On Nov 10th, district clerical and specialist staff were presented on working with students, parents, and staff who are from a background of poverty. Staff were presented with hidden rules and norms of poverty and how they differ from those of middle class and wealth. Discussion on how this would impact their interactions, jobs, etc were had. TV

On Jan 2nd, 2008, the Student Support Staff Conference was held at Washington High School with 408 people in attendance. Support staff (EAs, behavior faciliators, substitutes) had 48 sessions to choose from including Supporting Reading, True Colors, Math Help, Embracing Diversity and more. TV

On Feb 13th, 2008, in-service will be offered for EAs at IPC. Staff will have the choice of attending 20 different one-hour sessions on Lock-Down Procedures, Email Basics, Graphing Calculators, and more. TV

Several CPR sessions have been held throughout the year and will continue to be held at various times in the spring and summer. There is no charge to SFSD staff for the training which is conducted by District trainers. TV

Training in technology basics continues to occur for those preparing for the technology test. Training over District email, MyView, and navigating the website have been offered and will continue throughout the spring. TV

Currently we are delivering two different Red Apple courses on-line and will survey participants regarding pros and cons of on-line vs. face-to-face and/or a combination of online and face-to-face courses. Research into elements of effective on-line courses is being gathered. TV
 * SD2.2 Explore and evaluate web-based delivery of staff development courses - April 2008,**

Offer a menu of choices to principals to select. Issues - poverty and classroom management. Several different after-school sessions and Red Apple courses have been offered on the topic of poverty. Elementary teachers were invited to attend three different afterschool sessions pertaining to integrating the SMART Board into lessons. TV A variety of literacy across the curriculum sessions have been offered after the school day.
 * SD2.3 Deliver a staff development plan and offerings to certified staff that focus on literacy, differentiated instruction and 21st Century Skills - August 2008.****