Section 1: Envision: District’s Vision, Values, and Aspirations

What is the District’s vision?

Cultivating trust and courage to be innovative and persevere

In recognition that sometimes vision statements may not be a current reflection of the District’s values and aspirations, is there anything else important to know about what the District values and aspires to be that is not captured in the current vision?

The vision was updated in the summer of 2022 through an extensive process involving multiple stakeholders during the DCIP and Strategic Planning development. DCIP and Strategic Planning teams collaborated on adjusting the current District’s values, mission and vision.

Beliefs were discussed and the teams believed that the core values represent the focal points of the district’s integrity, mission and vision.

To that end, we believe in:

• Committing to fiscal responsibility.
• Providing physical and emotional safety for all.
• Partnering with educators, families and community for all students’ success.
• Delivering a robust educational program PreK-12.
• Fostering a sense of belonging.
• Ensuring all students have the necessary resources to be successful.

What themes emerged through the Envision-Analyze-Listen activities in your school(s) identified for TSI/ATSI/CSI support that let you know that you have made progress toward the vision, values, and aspirations of the District?

The LMC SCEP team learned about the many positive opportunities that exist for students such as the music and arts programming, use of technology, expansion of after-school activities, and positive feeling in the school environment.

What themes emerged through the Envision-Analyze-Listen activities in your school(s) identified for TSI/ATSI/CSI support that let you know that you still have work to be done toward the vision, values, and aspirations of the District?

The LMS SCEP team learned that students believe classes are not engaging  and they report they are not comfortable asking questions in class.  Students report an interest in more group/partner work in classes.  Further students identified bullying as an area of concern as students do not consistently follow school rules.  Teachers and students report behavior interferes with instruction.

Section 2: LISTEN: School Commitments

This section provides the opportunity for districts to consider what schools are indicating through their needs assessment and plan development process. To best position the district for success, NYSED strongly encourages members of the school-level planning teams to assist in developing the DCIP.

Review the Commitments made in the SCEP(s) for your school(s) identified for TSI/ATSI/CSI support.  What themes emerge when looking at the areas that are being prioritized for 2024-25?

The 2024- 2025 strategies are refinements to the current initiatives within the school.  The LMS is recommitting to strategies and next steps.  There’s a tight connection across all three strategies.

What Key Strategies are the schools prioritizing?  How might the district create opportunities for schools to pursue similar strategies to learn from one another?

The strategies identified are district-wide:  MTSS, EDI, LIM and SDI. All strategies identified  come directly from the DCIP.

Based on your review of the Resources section for each Commitment in the SCEP(s), what do you envision to be the three to six largest expenses associated with the implementation of your SCEP(s)?

• Continuum of Engagement professional learning
• Student Portfolios
• Books for book studies, such as exploring Restorative Practices.

Based on your review of the Resources section for each Commitment in the SCEP(s), what are the most effective ways for the District to use People to advance these Commitments, and, if applicable, to support improvement initiatives at other schools in the District?

Teachers sharing across classrooms and schools following professional development sessions would be powerful.  Additionally, the Middle School has purchased supplies for student portfolios.  The team discussed a commitment to share examples of student portfolios  with other schools.

Based on your review of the Resources section for each Commitment in the SCEP(s), what are the most effective ways for the District to use Money, Space, and Time to advance these Commitments, and, if applicable, to support improvement initiatives at other schools in the District?

Job embedded professional learning through an instructional coaching model would be very valuable in advancing practices, skills and knowledge.

Section 3: ANALYZE: Understanding Local Data

Use the space below to include at least five local data points that the District has collected that are relevant to understanding the District.  These could include:

• State-collected data from the NYSED District Report Card, such as the teacher turnover rate
• District-collected data, such as survey results
• Districtwide academic assessment data
• Student engagement/attendance data
• Student social-emotional health data

As you review your district-level data, focus on variation in performance: “Understanding the sources of variation in outcomes, and responding effectively to them, lies in the heart of quality improvement.”1 Select data that identifies areas where there is variation in outcomes (i.e., the performance in one area is not the same as the performance in another area). This could result in looking at variation within certain subjects (i.e., students perform better on some standards or skills compared to others), or variation within certain standards or skills (i.e., some students perform better on a certain standard than other students), or variation across classrooms, grade levels, or schools, or variation across groups of students. The job of the team can then be to consider WHY those variations exist.

When possible, consider data from the 2023-24 school year.

District-level Data Reviewed: What We Noticed When Reviewing this Data

• District Wide Triangulation Data Survey
  • 48. 8 percent of students said that In class, they often work with partners, or in group
• District Wide Triangulation Data Survey
  • 37.1% of students said that classes are interesting and keep their attention
• District Wide Triangulation Data Survey
  • 46.5 % of students said that they are comfortable working with partners or in a group
• Attendance Data:
  • Our daily attendance is respectable at about 91% average, however our chronically absent percentage is very high at ….. percent.
• Regents Data
  • The SWD, ENL, Hispanic and Economically Disadvantaged students do significantly worse on the exams
  • Passing rates for ELA and SS are higher than the other subjects
  • We have few students taking the Algebra and Geometry Regents
• NYS Assessment Data Grades 3-8
  • The SWD, ENL, Hispanic and Economically Disadvantaged students do significantly worse on the exams
  • The passing rate is under 30%  for  all assessments
  • Grade 7 and 8 math students had a very low proficiency rate at 7-10% proficient
• District STAR Data for Math and Reading
  • The elementary school has more success on this testing than the middles school
  • We are more successful in the area of math than we are in reading.
• HMH Growth Measure Data
  • There was a 16% increase in students reading on or above level  in grades K-8.
  • There was a 39% increase in students on or above level in math in grades K-8.

Section 4: ANALYZE: Considering What was Learned in 2023-24 (Re-Identified Districts Only)

Evaluating the Success of the 2023-24 DCIP

Refer to the 2023-24 DCIP to complete the information below.

Priority 1 in 2023-24 DCIP:

Was the District able to achieve the End-of-Year Success Criteria identified for this Priority? Yes (with some areas of additional support needed for 2023-2024)

If the identified success criteria were not achieved, in the space below, identify factors that may have contributed to the District not achieving these outcomes.

Factors

• Some EDI training took place, however the RPC made the decision not to assist us with EDI coaching which was written into the plan.
• The SDI training from the RPC also did not take place as was written in the plan.
• Awareness about the Science of Reading took place and over 15 teachers were trained, however the training needs to be more widespread.
• Facilitator and curriculum meetings took place and the curriculum maps are in better shape than ever. More work needs to be done to identify standards that need to be mastered at each grade level. Time needs to be set aside at conference days to do this work.
• Mentor/Mentee meetings were highly productive, however peer observation did not take place.  There needs to be a specific plan in place for this to happen. The mentor program needs to be reviewed and updated. This could be included in the plan.

Priority 2 in 2023-24 DCIP:

Was the District able to achieve the End-of-Year Success Criteria identified for this Priority? Yes (with some areas of additional support needed for 2023-2024)

If the identified success criteria were not achieved, in the space below, identify factors that may have contributed to the District not achieving these outcomes.

Factors

There were many strategies written into the plan and it was not possible to complete them all. Much work was done with the Leader in Me at all levels, however we did not have the time to also create tangible incentive plans.

Priority 3 in 2023-24 DCIP:

Was the District able to achieve the End-of-Year Success Criteria identified for this Priority? Yes (with some areas of additional support needed for 2023-2024)

If the identified success criteria were not achieved, in the space below, identify factors that may have contributed to the District not achieving these outcomes.

Factors

Student Led Conference is a heavy lift. In order to do so, students needed to first create their leadership portfolios, which they have done. We will focus on SLC in the 24-25 school year.

After reviewing your success in achieving the 2023-24 DCIP Priorities, what lessons have you learned that can be incorporated into your 2024-25 DCIP?

• It is important not to have too many strategies, which makes it difficult to focus on what is most important and measure the results.
• It is essential to have baseline data and to monitor progress throughout the plan.

Considering the Effectiveness of Previous Resource Decisions

Identify the top three areas where the District directed its 2023-24 Title 1 1003(a) District-level Improvement Funds.

#1 Recipient/Use of District Improvement Funds: PLC Associates

• What was your goal in directing funds in this manner?
  • The district used PLC in order to implement the triangulation survey. In addition PLC Associated assisted with the goal of vertical and horizontal alignment of the curriculum and to monitor the High School SCEP plan.
• Have you met this goal?
  • Yes.
• How do you know?
  • The triangulation survey gave us essential data on how our students, staff and families feel about the effectiveness of the district. This information provides us with data that assists us in determining which areas we need to focus on.
  • We have made great progress on our curriculum maps and educating teachers on the components of the maps and how to ensure they are vertically and horizontally aligned. We have also been able to educate our facilitators on the definition of Priority 1 and what it truly means to meet that goal.
• What practices (including student practices and teacher practices) look different in the District now as a result of this expenditure?
  • The district analyzes triangulation data and looks at it longitudinally to choose focus areas.
  • Teachers understand the why behind the writing curriculum.
  • The High School is off the TSI list.

#2 Recipient/Use of District Improvement Funds:Eric Sheninger – Educational Consultant

• What was your goal in directing funds in this manner?
  • The goal was to train teachers on strategies for increasing engagement, student choice, collaboration and successful closure.
• Have you met this goal?
  • We have partially met this goal.
•  How do you know?
• • We know this based on walkthrough data that indicates more teachers are utilizing choice and teachers have improved their ability to produce meaningful closure.
• What practices (including student practices and teacher practices) look different in the District now as a result of this expenditure?
  • Teachers are aware of the need to make instruction more relevant to the lives of the students.
  • Teachers are working to include student choice and student voice into their lessons.
  • Teachers are improving their use of closure.
• Administrators are conducting more weekly walkthroughs.
• Administrators are analyzing and sharing the data from walkthroughs.

#3 Recipient/Use of District Improvement Funds: Aperture/DESSA Screener

• What was your goal in directing funds in this manner?
  • The DESSA suite of assessments empowers educators to build a measurable and actionable social, emotional, and behavioral program with reliable assessment. The DESSA is an empirical, standardized social and emotional competence (SEC) assessment with editions that support students K-12.  The District felt that this data would assist us in meeting the needs of our at risk students through specific lessons and counseling sessions. We also felt this would help us to build on student strengths.
• Have you met this goal?
  • Yes.
• How do you know?
  • We have excellent usage of the screening tool. We have developed a comprehensive implementation plan.
• What practices (including student practices and teacher practices) look different in the District now as a result of this expenditure?
  • Counselors are using the data to create counseling groups.
  • The data is being used in MTSS meetings.
• After considering the effectiveness of previous resource allocation decisions, what lessons have you learned that can be incorporated into your 2024-25 DCIP?
  • The use of consultants is very helpful. We need to ensure that the training they provide us, allows us to be self-sufficient in the future.
  • Surveys are very useful. We must be sure we continue to share the results with all stakeholders and take the time to analyze the data and create strategies for improvement.

Section 5: Putting it all Together

Review your responses to sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 to identify 3 to 5 Priorities for the 2024-2025 DCIP.  Identify the Priorities below and indicate how those Priorities support the themes that emerged in the previous sections.

Priority 1:

What will the District prioritize to extend success in 2024-25?

Providing an accessible, culturally responsive, relevant and engaging vertically and horizontally aligned PK-12 curriculum

This Priority helps support (indicate all that apply)

• X The District’s Vision (Section 1, Question 1)
• X The District’s Values and Aspirations not captured through Vision (Section 1, Question 2)
• X Themes from the Envision-Analyze-Listen activities (Section 1, Questions 3-4)
• XCommitments made by our school(s) identified for TSI/ATSI/CSI support (Section 2, Question 1)
• X  What was learned from our review of recent data (Section 3)
• X What was learned in 2023-24 (Section 4)

Priority 2:

What will the District prioritize to extend success in 2024-25?

Providing a MTSS for behavior and attendance that cultivates wellness and safety for students, staff and families.

This Priority helps support (indicate all that apply)

• XThe District’s Vision (Section 1, Question 1)
• XThe District’s Values and Aspirations not captured through Vision (Section 1, Question 2)
• XThemes from the Envision-Analyze-Listen activities (Section 1, Questions 3-4)
• XCommitments made by our school(s) identified for TSI/ATSI/CSI support (Section 2, Question 1)
• X  What was learned from our review of recent data (Section 3)
• X  What was learned in 2023-24 (Section 4)

Priority 3:

What will the District prioritize to extend success in 2024-25?

Providing a positive, welcoming student centered environment that celebrates diversity and inclusivity to empower students, staff and families.

This Priority helps support (indicate all that apply)

• XThe District’s Vision (Section 1, Question 1)
• X The District’s Values and Aspirations not captured through Vision (Section 1, Question 2)
• XThemes from the Envision-Analyze-Listen activities (Section 1, Questions 3-4)
• XCommitments made by our school(s) identified for TSI/ATSI/CSI support (Section 2, Question 1)
• XWhat was learned from our review of recent data (Section 3)
• XWhat was learned in 2023-24 (Section 4)