HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 06-06A WA Amending the 2010 Strategic Plan WESTLAKE ACADEMY
RESOLUTION NO. 06-06-A
A RESOLUTION WITHDRAWING RESOLUTION 06-06 AND SUBSTITUTING IN ITS
PLACE THIS RESOLUTION OF THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD OF
DIRECTORS APPROVING ANAMENDMENT TO THE 2010 WESTLAKE ACADEMY
STRATEGIC PLAN.
WHEREAS, Westlake Academy was founded based on a mission that includes
providing an innovative approach to education that focuses on the needs of each student; and
WHEREAS, the Westlake Academy Board of Directors adopted the Westlake Academy
2010 Strategic Plan within the 2005-2006 budget; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors previously adopted Resolution 06-06 without the
benefit of any input from the Head of School and her faculty;
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors and staff have now had the opportunity to receive
input from parents and staff concerning ways to continue improving Westlake Academy, which
prompted a review of the Strategic Plan document; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors has concluded that certain Objectives should be
added to the section of the Strategic Plan entitled"Alignment of Goals and Objectives"; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors finds that it is in the best interests of the Westlake
Academy parents, students, and community to withdraw Resolution No. 06-06 and in its place
adopt this Resolution.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD OF
DIRECTORS THAT:
SECTION 1: The Head of School is directed to amend the 2005-2006 Budget, 2010
Strategic Plan by adding or amending the following objectives:
Under Alignment of Goals and Objectives; Goal II, "Adhere to High
Expectations",
Add Objective F: "Educate students and parents about the 113 programs and
grading system articulating benefits and superior attributes of the curriculum in
order to improve parental understanding and participation in the education
process.
Under Alignment of Goals and Objectives; Goal III, "Share responsibility of
educational development among parents, teachers, staff and community."
Amend Objective G: "Establish consistent reliable conduit of
communication between teachers and parents utilizing technology,
personal meetings, and the criteria used in Massessment tools."
Add Objective 1: "Provide parents with access to resources and materials
used by the students to encourage participation and support at home."
SECTION 2: The Westlake Academy staff is directed to implement the actions described
in"Exhibit I" related to the 2010 Strategic Plan, Goals and Objectives.
SECTION 3: The Head of School shall review the Strategic Plan each year in
conjunction with the annual budget and report recommendations and results back to the School
Board of Directors.
SECTION 4: Resolution No. 06-06 is withdrawn and this resolution shall become the
operative resolution concerning the matters contained herein.
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PASSED AND APPROVED ON THIS DAY OF 2006.
ATTEST:
Scott Bradley, President
y
an Dwinnell, Secretary Barbara Brizuela, Head of School
APPROVED AS TO kpRM:
L. Stanton Lowry, n Attorney
Exhibit 1
Strategic Plan
Add Objective F: Educate students and parents about the IB programs and grading
system, articulating the benefits and superior attributes of the curriculum in order to
improve parental understanding of and participation in the education process.
Actions taken:
J. Obligatory meeting was held with prospective MYP students and parents to
explain MYP program and grading. The meeting was well attended. MYP
Coordinator and present MYP students spoke and answered questions.
2. Similar meeting for present MYP students and parents was held April 25tH
2006. The meeting was also well attended and received.
3. Hired an expert to set up system for equivalencies with local grading patterns
(expert will begin working on this in May 2006).
4. New parents for the incoming year received a notice attached to their
enrolment package advising them that an obligatory IB Introductory meeting
will be held in the Fall.
5. Informative meetings will require the attendance of students with parents in
order to improve the very poor attendance by parents at meetings in the past.
6. At least one of the two yearly individual parent conferences will be student-
led. This gives parents personalized insight into the understanding of and
participation in the educational process. Very successful MYP student-led
conferences were held in April and PYP Student-led conferences are being
held in May.
7. Standardized testing has been slated for all levels of the Academy during the
next months. This will give parents and teachers another parameter for
comparing students of like ages and grade levels at a national level.
Kindergarten through Grade 2 will use the Iowa Test of Basic Skills during
the Spring semester testing window; G4-9 (and up in subsequent years) will
use the Stanford tests during the Autumn testing window. After this initial
testing period, the Academy will evaluate how often and at what grade levels
these standardized tests should be administered.
8. A PYP Newsletter will be written at regular intervals. The first issues have
already been distributed. This will help families understand the fundamentals
of the program.
Actions planned:
1. Workshops and meetings for parents on specific subjects or aspects of the
PYP, MYP and Diploma programs will be held. Plans already are underway
for:
a. Family Math Night;
b. the Learner Profile;
c. Parent Education Night;
d. a week-long celebration of Public Education Week.
2. Make articles more readily available to the wider community published in the
IB World and other publications that focus on IB®.
3. Have more parents become involved in Community Service hours.
4. Publish curriculum documents on line—the MYP Matrix and the PYP
Program of Inquiry and the PYP Grade level Handbooks.
5. Publish (now underway) IB Assessment guidelines for both PYP and MYP
6. Invite University representatives to speak about IB Diploma applicants.
Amend Objective G: Establish consistent reliable conduits of communication
between teachers and parents utilizing technology, personal meetings and the criteria
used in IB assessment tools.
Actions taken:
1. Weekly newsletters are now being issued by all teachers in hard copy or
electronically.
a. MYP will continue to issue a section letter, but more input concerning
specific subjects will be included.
b. PYP section newsletter will be issued regularly.
c. MYP subject criteria and rubrics are in student binders and posted in MYP
classrooms.
d. PYP students use rubrics regularly and these are posted before an
assignment is done.
Actions planned:
1. Reinstate more frequent Breakfasts with Head of School. Room parents and
any others interested will be invited.
2. Encourage parents to seek out ways to meet with the appropriate staff when
they have questions or need information. Also encourage parents who do have
a good understanding of the program and its benefits and opportunities to
share that with other families.
3. Survey all parents regularly to see where their major concerns lie and use
them to help direct Academy goals within the framework set. This could be
accomplished by expanding the survey sent to all parents after the Blacksmith
Apprentice Program drive; the survey sent this year to all parents did include
many topics that have to do with satisfaction and dissatisfaction with school
programs and policies.
4. Post sample grading criteria and rubrics on the school website.
Add Objective Ie Provide parents with access to resources and materials used by the
students to encourage participation and support at home.
Actions taken:
1. PYP Class newsletters all include information on current Units of Inquiry and
suggestions for activities to be done at home.
2. PYP newsletters often include educational websites that reinforce subject
specific activities that are conceptually based(math, language, science), as
well as websites that are particularly useful for research for young people.
3. Assignments are usually set out clearly on the homework page of the school
website and in the student agenda.
Actions planned:
1. Include more subject news in the MYP newsletter.
2. The Academy website is being redesigned. A team of teachers is working on
the contents and recommendations that include creating a parent page with
links and resources that will be valuable to helping students at home.
Actions taken to address other concerns expressed by staff, students or parents—
differentiation and teacher appraisal:
1. In core subjects, work is differentiated. It may be differentiated by:
a. Outcome: there is a general assignment; the criteria and rubrics, set and
shared with students, outline what is needed for the highest mark. Thus
students work to their ability.
b. Task: students are assigned different tasks according to their level of
conceptual understandings.
i. In MYP math classes there are differentiated groupings. These
are fluid and when one concept is mastered a student may move
into another group.
ii. There are also individualized computer math programs currently
being used for math to further help meet individual needs
(Success Maker and Renaissance Math).
c. Tutoring is offered by most teachers after school or during the day for
help in core subjects.
d. The very nature of IB offers many of these differentiation concepts
incorporated into the plans.
Actions planned for differentiation:
a. Plans are underway for implementing long-distance learning to advance
students who are years above their age group or who have knowledge
and talent in subjects that are not on offer at the Academy.
b. A study group made up of teachers, parents and HOS, all of whom have
had extensive study or involvement with students of high ability, have
been meeting for two years and after much study are now working on
policies and identification means to assure that students with all types of
special needs are served to the best ability of the Academy.
c. Increase staff development plans to include more courses on
differentiation.
2. Teacher Appraisal
Actions taken:
a. Teachers have been appraised during each of the two completed years to
date. Appraisals during the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 year were based
on teacher self-appraisals using a standardized template. Teachers then
had an appraisal interview with the Head of School and set up an Action
Plan with goals, means to achieve the goals, time frame, and evidence
that goals had been achieved. These appraisals form part of the teacher's
file.
b. During 2005-2006 school year the Academy implemented a peer-
appraisal system. Peer appraisal, new to schools,has been proven to be
an extremely successful tool that improves knowledge, performance and
managerial skills for both the appraiser and the appraised person. These
appraisals will be completed by year's end.
Actions planned:
a. Share the template with parents and include the procedures for carrying
out appraisals in the personnel policies.