Equitable Access to Excellent Educators
As can be seen in our district report card and other data sources, students in any of the high needs categories are not making as much progress in the areas of growth and achievement as their counterparts. To address these inequities, we have a multifaceted plan which includes targeted professional development, training out of the district for those educators in need of SEI endorsement, and our strategic plan priority goals 1 and 2.
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This year and next, we are providing training for ALL educators on the new IEP.
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In 2024-25, all inclusion teachers have attended or will attend RISE training to support the needs of special education students.
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The district has worked with DESE to provide SEI endorsement for all teachers not currently endorsed.
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In August of 2024, all staff received district training on MTSS to support all learners.
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All new teachers and their mentors read “Teaching with Poverty in Mind” by Eric Jenson.
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All new teachers attend mentoring and induction meetings throughout the year, covering topics like strategies in the classroom, understanding the DCAP, planning lessons that meet the needs of all students, etc.
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We have instructional coaches at the elementary level to support math and literacy initiatives.
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We have reading and math interventionists at the elementary and middle school levels to provide direct support to students based on state, district, and nationally normed benchmark assessments.
Our data clearly shows that we have inequities in our system particularly in relation to our high needs population. However, that data also shows that most of our teachers have over 3 years of experience and are qualified within their identified content. Our SWD, low income, and ELs are where we see the biggest gaps. While the district has numerous data points, data analysis has not been a priority.
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In order to shift data analysis to the forefront of our work, we are training district leaders in data analysis, including root cause analysis, this March. Here is the presentation.
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Ongoing data meetings at PLCs to review assessment data, SEL data (from Panorama), and other qualitative data.
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In 2024-25, we will continue to use an Intervention Tracking System to monitor student progress and the effectiveness of our interventions.