Each year, the Peirce School Advisory Council, consisting of the principal, teachers, and parent, meet to discuss the hopes and visions we all share for the improvement of our school.  We are not unique in this process, as each Massachusetts School is mandated to have such a council in place.  You can find more about the council and our members through the Peirce website.

 

This year, you will notice there is a strong push for improvement in math.  By no coincidence, that is a district goal as well. Our school improvement plan strongly reflects the goals of the district.  We have three major goals and action steps, and the APS goal it reflects:

Arlington Goal 1: 

The Arlington Public Schools will ensure that every graduate is prepared to enter and complete a post-secondary degree program, pursue a career, and be an active citizen in an ever-changing world by offering a rigorous, comprehensive, standards-based and data-driven K-12 system of curriculum, instruction, and assessment that integrates social, emotional and wellness support. Student Achievement

  Peirce Goal 1:  70% of students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will score either advanced or proficient in the MCAS

 

Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline	Resources Needed	Success Indicators	2013 Progress
Incorporate  challenge activities into each math unit	Principal, Teachers, Math director	July 2012 – June 2013	Think Tanks (previously purchased, already in classrooms) Teacher and math director time, AEF grant funds (already acquired)	3% or more increase in MCAS scores in proficient and advanced
Bring in and utilize a math coach for teachers	Principal, Math director	2012-2013 school year	Title One funds, Teacher time beyond the school day	Increase PPI to 50% in MCAS scores
Implement an after school tutorial program for at risk students	Principal, Teachers, Math director	2012-2013 school year	Title One funds, teacher time,	Tutors pre-assessment and post assessment  results, teacher observation

 

Arlington Goal II – Staff Excellence and Professional Development

The Arlington Public Schools will recruit, hire, retain, and build the capacity of a diverse staff to

be excellent teachers and administrators by providing high quality professional development

aligned to needs, instructional support, coaching, and an evaluation framework that fosters

continuous improvement.

  Goal 2: Ensure that Peirce teachers are providing assistive technology for all students

Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline	Resources Needed	Success Indicators	2012-2013 Progress
Expand use of assistive technology in the classroom	Building tech person (Rebecca Kapler), Principal Teachers	2012-2013	IPad, lcd projectors, professional development from the district and school leadership, feedback by teachers formalized in a survey	Kid survey? To measure their opinion of the impact
Identify classrooms in need of lcd projectors & document cameras, and acquire them	IT, teachers, Building tech person	2012-2013	IT department, possibly PTO funds	Equitable classroom inventory by 7/13
Expand PD at the building level	Principal, staff, Building tech person	2012-2013	PTO, Grants, Teachers,	25% of building meetings devoted to technology related PD

Arlington Goal IV – Operations, Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

 The Arlington Public Schools will be run smoothly, efficiently and professionally. The district will operate transparently and engage in effective collaboration and responsive communication with all stakeholders. It will provide timely, accurate data to support financial decision-making,

envisioning of the district’s future, and long-range planning in partnership with other Town

officials. Through these actions it will create broad support for a high quality education system,

that is the community’s most valuable asset.

 PEIRCE Goal: 3 Improve Communication Between School and Home

 

Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline	Resources Needed	Success Indicators	2012-13 Progress
Needs assessment from the Peirce Community via survey.	Principal, secretary, Teachers, PTO, Advisory CounciL	2012-2013	Teacher communication with parents, office communication (summer)	Survey Monkey and  hard copy results; protocol for creating a hard copy list
Communicate  confidentiality policy and FERPA law to staff and community	Principal, Advisory Council	2012-2013	Information provided by the DOE, slide show at PTO	Information shared this year and annually.
Create Grade level websites: Prepare supply lists and class lists before the end of the 2013 school year for 2013/2014	Teachers, Principal Building tech person	2012-2013	Faculty time; teacher time	Completed websites and lists by June 2013

 

Some of these goals will be met at the end of the school year, and that progress will be reflected in the progress column. Others will continue, or be altered, to reflect the ever-changing needs of our school.

If you think you would like to be a member of our council, we are always looking for candidates, check the Peirce website for more information!