The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Ed board reveals improvement plans
Superintendent wants to avoid ‘regression’
“We're working to make sure that (these goals are) sustainable over a long period of time.” Melanie Brady-Shanley Winchester Superintendent
WINSTED — Superintendent Melanie BradyShanley shared a district improvement plan with the Board of Education last week, aiming to achieve sustained, measured progress in the schools over time.
This is the first time in a number of years that a district improvement plan has been developed in a collaborative manner, Brady-Shanley said. School-specific plans being developed by principals will be implemented as well, she said.
The district is seeking improvement in four areas — reading, mathematics, chronic absenteeism and parent engagement.
Brady-Shanley said the hope is to increase test scores on reading and math assessments by about two percentage points.
The goal, she said, is steady, sustainable progress. A 2 percent to 2 percent increase, which was determined through research, can be sustained over time — larger increases, on the other hand, are often followed by regression in the following years, she noted.
“What I would rather see is longitudinal, successful change over a period of time, rather than having this large bump in achievement and then a regression thereafter,” said BradyShanley.
“So we're working to make sure that (these goals are) sustainable over a long period of time, and that the information that the students have actually become proficient in is actually embedded in their own, innate understanding, rather than just for-the-moment assessment.”
Strategies to achieve these goals include Tier 1 intervention – a focus on small groups within a larger classroom setting – observational walkthroughs, professional development, and data analysis through the Tableau platform.
Tableau software is new to the district, Brady-Shanley said. By using it, teachers will be able to break down and filter data, taking a closer look at specific sub-groups within the student body to measure their progress and improvement.
A new math curriculum, known as the Bridges program, has also been implemented this year, she said. But overall, the district is focused on strategies that can be used in teaching both math and literacy, as elementary-level teachers lead students through both subjects.
The district also wants to decrease chronic absenteeism to below 5 percent. The rate at Pearson is already beneath that goal, but Batcheller is at 6.4 percent, according to district documentation. The plan is to get the school to 6.1 percent or lower, based on a 5 percent growth rule.
Parent outreach efforts are also goals for the year, Brady-Shanley said. Eight school-wide events will be planned for each building, with new recognition events and celebrations. The district has launched a presence on social media, she said. This includes the district Facebook page — www.facebook.com/winchesterctschools.
“We are going to bring back the celebration of excellence in this district,” said Brady-Shanley.
Brady-Shanley said she was working on a “service excellence message” with the aid of Region 7 Superintendent Judy Palmer, to be a common goal in the district.
“When you come to (the) Winchester Public Schools, this is the level of customer service that you're going to receive, and this is the experience that you should count on having here,” said Brady-Shanley.
A schoolwide climate survey, taking into account the thoughts of teachers, staffers, and families, will also be conducted in November, she said.
The town schools returned to local oversight following an approximately two-year period of state control. Brady-Shanley was hired as superintendent of schools in May.