The Board of School Directors passed a resolution calling for our legislators to oppose the elimination of property taxes as it is written.
Update on the District’ s Continuous Improvement Plan
Each year district-wide goals are set in an effort to continuously measure and evaluate the programming provided in the Brentwood Borough School District. Mid-way through the school year the goals are reviewed and progress is shared with the community.
Goal 1: Encourage families to explore all educational avenues including opportunities at Steel Center for our ninth-twelfth grade students.
The District has taken several steps to strengthen our relationship with Steel Center. Two of our students were featured on a previous cover of the InBrentwood Baldwin-Whitehall magazine and inside the magazine a detailed article explaining the variety of programming available at Steel Center was included. In the current edition of the magazine, the Advertising and Design program is being featured. Students in fifth through ninth grade have an additional opportunity to tour Steel Center and parent meetings have been added.
Goal 2: Establish a system to ensure implementation of consistent instructional strategies across all classrooms in each school.
The Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development( CIPD) reports monthly on the progress made on aligning the curriculum and resources. The following has occurred:
• Secondary ELA teachers met to revise the ELA curriculum maps
• The K-2 math teachers met to revise curriculum in relation to the PA Core Standards
• The Science Department chair has reviewed the secondary lesson plans to sequence units and review exposure of curriculum from 6-12
• The Director of CIPD is building the social studies sequence and will meet with the elementary content leader and secondary department chair for feedback
The Director of CIPD has developed the professional development plan for the 16-17 school year. To date the following sessions have been provided:
October / November 2016 ESL-Culture, Lesson Design, Parent Involvement-
Mrs. Gina Oliphant- AIU Positive Classroom Environment- Mr. David Radcliffe Instructional Strategies that Engage Students- Mrs. Barb Pagan Differentiating for the Low Achieving Students- AIU Grant Writing- Mrs. Barb Girone K-2 MAP Assessment- Mrs. Lindsay Klousnitzer Formative Assessments- Mrs. Bonnie Betler
February 2017 CPR- Mrs. Kristi Thieshen and Mrs. Aggie Greer
TDA Writing- Dr. Heather Moschetta Reading Achievement
Center- AIU Grant Writing- Mrs. Barb Girone Flipped Classroom- Mrs. Katy Phillips and Mrs. Jennifer Hughes Formative Assessments- Mrs. Bonnie Betler Working with Families- Mr. Jason Olexa Meeting the Needs of all Learners- Mrs. Leanna Lawson- AIU ESL- Mrs. Gina Oliphant- AIU MAP Data Reporting- Mrs. Lindsay Klousnitzer Enhancing the Classroom with Technology- Ms. Kylie LaSota
Goal 3: Establish a system that ensures all staff members in every school use standards aligned assessments to monitor student achievement and adjust instructional practices.
Each building principal has obtained PVAAS, e-Metric Data, and PSSA data. The data was shared with the teachers and discussions are ongoing as to how to refine instruction to promote student achievement. Monthly, administrators submit reports outlining the actions taken to work on this goal. Also the professional development schedule includes opportunities for teachers, staff and administrators to review data and align curriculum.
Goal 4: Establish a system that ensures all staff members in every school the opportunity to utilize educational technology and technology integration into the core curriculum.
The Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Innovation( CITI) has collected data from all stakeholders. In addition, the inventory of equipment, hardware and software was completed. The next steps include meeting with stakeholders to formalize the goals for the District in the next 3-5 years.
The Imagination Station 4 Innovation( IS4I), a teacher led initiative, is expanding from Moore Elementary to Elroy Elementary. This is an opportunity for teachers to share lessons and for students to explore areas of STEAM and 21st Century Learning. The classes at the High School continue to grow in the areas of Engineering, Photography, Communications, and Art. A new project this year includes a photo gallery at the Brentwood Library highlighting students’ photographs, some of which have been recognized in a local competition.
Goal 5: Establish a system that ensures maximum efficiency procedures for accounting, reporting, business, purchasing, and all other areas of fiscal management.
The District audit report was completed in January with no deficiencies. In February, PDE notified the District that a Single Audit Report of the Brentwood Borough School District was completed and found that all federal financial assistance programs were in compliance with the OMB Circular A-133 and other relevant federal and Commonwealth policies.
The Business Office continues to collaborate with the administration, teachers and staff to ensure purchasing procedures and policies are followed. A new eFund program was implemented in February which enabled parents to make food service payments online. rentwood Borough
SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Spring 2017 | icmags. com 61