The Division’s instructional staff met at Garth Newel on Tuesday, August 12th. At the beginning of a new school year it was an opportunity to recognize past accomplishments and to acknowledge the challenges ahead in our journey of continuous school improvement and to make 2014-2015 our best year yet. My address to faculty and staff follows.
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Good morning! Welcome back! The 53 days or seven and one half weeks of summer break passed by too quickly, but I hope you had a relaxing and rejuvenating summer with families and friends. Fall is in the air and it is an exciting time to begin another school year; to begin anew, a fresh start.
As I have said before the key to the excellence of any school division is PEOPLE. Many preparations to reopen school have been made during the summer and some will continue into the fall. Each of us must thank individuals that are not with us today. Be sure to let maintenance, custodial, food service, school and division secretarial, and transportation support staff know how much you appreciate their efforts throughout the year. And don’t forget to say thank you to principals and other administrators – each having worked while on vacation, school nurses, school resource officer, and behavior intervention specialists.
There is not one of us who chose this profession for any other reason than to make a difference in the life of our children and youth. Even those in non-instructional roles delight in the part they play in seeing the smile and glimmer of hope and promise in those entrusted to our care. Our success is measured in the diversity of our population, and we should all take great pride in being part of something so significant and so far reaching. Don’t ever lose sight of the value of your education, training, and motivation in becoming a part of an educational system for those components are great gifts that we share every day. The vision of Bath County Public Schools is that we make a positive difference for every child, in every class, everyday.
For a long while the division met or exceeded established benchmarks to achieve state accreditation and to meet federal Annual Measurable Objectives. As benchmarks changed and the rigor of standards and assessments increased, progress in academic achievement - as measured by SOL test results – slowed. This was evidenced by decreasing three-year averages in English and mathematics. Performance in 2012-2013 resulted in an ACCREDITED with WARNING IN MATHEMATICS status for one of the division’s schools for 2013-2014, and without improvement, all three schools were in danger of receiving an ACCREDITED with WARNING designation. Last year presented us with a challenge and an “opportunity for success”.
One school underwent an academic review and all three schools developed school improvement plans, increased expectations, and made significant and remarkable improvements. I CONGRATULATE and THANK you for rising to the occasion. Focus has once again been placed on the things that matter most – curriculum alignment, pacing guides reflective of test blueprints, thoughtful and relevant lesson plans, assessments at the correct cognitive level and context, and the use of data to inform instruction and predict academic success. Last year’s journey was a shared responsibility as illustrated by school improvement teams, vertical content teams, and targeted and scheduled remediation during the school day.
As we celebrate our success in some areas, we must also recognize that we have more work to do in other areas. I encourage you to build upon what has been learned and applied in the past two years to effect continued overall academic progress and also, progress in gap groups. English, especially early reading and K-12 writing, will need our focus while continuing and sustaining improvements that have been made in mathematics.
Linked to academic improvement is the demeanor and attitude with which we handle the matters before us day by day, the relationships we form with colleagues and students, and how we form partnerships with parents and the community. The FISH! Philosophy reminds us that while external factors may trigger our attitudes, each of us has the power to choose the right attitude for a positive school climate. Being there, truly mentally and physically present, for each other and our students, builds community. If we practice making each other’s day and we play a little along the way our difficult work will be easier and school will be a good place to teach and to learn. After a year of exploration and a year of installation and training, we are ready to begin initial implementation of PBIS which will require strong leadership teams and faculty and staff commitment. Consultation and support will be tailored to each school and effective procedures for minimizing and dealing with discipline will go a long way to support academic progress and make school an enjoyable place to be.
Bath County has a Local Composite Index of .80 – the highest possible. This means that county funds equal 4 times the amount of state and federal funds received. Based on next year’s budget the estimated per pupil cost is just over $18,000. Our teacher-pupil ratios are very favorable and in the past two budget years progress has been made in improving salaries in all employment areas to be more regionally competitive. In return, our community expects that we do our jobs well and that students graduate college and career ready. We must do better, as individuals, as schools and as a division, at “telling our story”.
Over the past two years our schools have become safer and more secure with the addition of camera surveillance systems, keyless entry systems, and door alarms. A School Resource Officer (SRO) now serves BCHS and as needed, the elementary schools. Once again we have two school nurses working 6 hours per day instead of 4.
This year, all students in grades 6-9 will have Kuno mobile tablet technology to enhance and individualize learning.
I said earlier that our work is not easy – especially if we do it well. We must work SMARTER not harder by replacing less effective behaviors with behaviors that research shows work best. Our students are individuals and as such require differentiation in content, process and product. Some students will learn in spite of what we do, and others will learn only because of what we do.
Dr. Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don’t like." Her call to fellow educators was to believe in their students and connect with them on a real, human and personal level. Listen as she reminds us that “Every kid needs a champion” – an adult that will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be - from TED TALKS EDUCATION, May 2013 – one month before she died. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw
Again, welcome to a new school year – make it our best year yet!