Standard+Level+Contextual+Narrative



//As you review the responses to the indicators and rubrics, what major trends, themes, areas of focus, or goals emerge that cut across this standard?// //How will you use the insights gained from this self-assessment to inform and enhance your improvement efforts related to this standard?// As we began the school improvement process, we worked together with all stakeholders to develop our mission statement, motto, vision and belief statements. We involved community members, students, board members, teachers, and administration as we established these directional guidelines. We continued to look at a vast array of data, including and perceptual data from a variety of surveys. Analysis of the data indicated a need to address writing. As part of the ongoing MVHS school improvement plan teachers will continue to emphasize paragraph development, journal writing and vocabulary development as part of their classroom instructional activities. For documentation purposes, each nine weeks all faculty members will submit representative samples of these activities from each of the courses they instruct.
 * **__Standard 7__**

The MVHS School Improvement Team communicates the results of improvement efforts via e-mails to teachers and staff, and via reports by student council and parent representatives. Minutes are kept on file and are available for review. Agendas are sent to teachers and staff before each SIT meeting. Revisions to documents are made as needed. We utilize our website, school board meetings, the local newspaper, faculty meetings, student assemblies, and involvement in community groups as avenues for communication with our stakeholders. Good communication is the key to success in any endeavor involving people. To be truly communicating, explaining and listening must be reciprocal. Stakeholders must know what is expected and suggested ways to achieve those expectations need to be clearly worked out and clarified to all involved. Our goals of Mt. Vernon High School are clearly stated in documentation, spoken at assemblies and meetings, and reflected in statistics. How our goals were obtained and determined were and will be through many meetings that include representives of the students, staff, and parents, ever-changing and improving.

Data is gathered utilizing technology through walk through evaluations and school activity report forms. Our plans are to not only have better data, but also to better utilize that data. Mt. Vernon Senior High School provides many opportunities for evaluation, improvement, and documentation for student achievement. For example, students are required to take the NWEA test each semester, English and Algebra classes are required to take the End of course assessment test, and collaborative classes have again been implemented in the curriculum. In addition, professional development for faculty, staff, and student improvement efforts are demonstrated through documented evidence and found in the assessed summations.

In addressing this goal, we have brought professional development to our teachers as well as encouraged the staff to attend opportunities at our educational service center and elsewhere. MVHS does provide professional development opportunities to ensure that staff members have the required skills to implement the school's chosen improvement strategies. A criterion writing program workshop and Apex Training were offered on several different occasions. MVHS has also offered professional development opportunities to deliver student-centered instruction in a variety of ways in the classroom. Programs such as the differentiated instruction, RTI, foldable notebooking, and Activboard and Activ Expression training have been provided on numerous occasions to assist teachers in delivering student-centered instruction in a variety of ways. MSD of Mt. Vernon brought in Gary Howard to present an interative professional development workshop on cultural competence and courageous practice to assist staff in working together for inclusion, equity, and excellence. Technology has always been a focus of our professional development, highlighting how technology can benefit student learning.

The school improvement team has made a significant effort to ensure that new programs not only align with our goal and mission statement but also integrate well with other school programs rather than detracting from what we are already doing.

As we continue in our school improvement efforts, we want to focus on the future. We feel confident that we are headed in the right direction and continue to put the best interest of our students at the forefront. The programs we are implementing will be evaluated through the data we collect to ensure that we are achieving our goal. We feel certain that we will have solid data from our new assessments that will assist us in making sound decisions. ||