Preparing for a Successful School Year
What makes for a great school year?
•Immediate tasks•Time after the kids have
arrived•Long-term initiatives
Immediate- Kids1. Process for proving residency2. Process for registering/enrolling
students3. Process for collecting fines
– Pre-notification is very helpful4. Articulated and enforced
schedule/teacher change policy5. Meet with student leadership
groups prior to all kids arriving
Immediate- Faculty1. Have you organized teacher time prior to
the arrival of kids?2. Are you prepared to deliver required
training on harassment, non-discrimination, discipline, and student records
3. Have you written a letter to faculty explaining before-student time?
4. If you have assistant principals, have you delegated relevant responsibilities to them?
5. Have you prepared an induction program for new teachers?
New Teacher Induction
Think-Pair-Share
What components should be present within a new teacher
induction program?
New Teacher Induction
1. Connecting the new teacher to an effective mentor/buddy
2. Providing curriculum guide(s) and relevant resources
3. Providing access to classroom4. Introduction to key staff5. Laying out your vision of
teaching and learning
New Teacher Induction
6. Describing effective classroom management
7. Explaining current school improvement initiatives
8. Introduction to technology9. Description of daily routine,
practical information10.Tour of key places within
building
Immediate-Faculty (Con’t)
6. Are all key sponsors and coaches in place?
7. Are you prepared to share data from the previous school year?
8. Are you prepared to create a shared vision of the key points of emphasis for the year?
9. Put in place the beginnings of a 5 year plan.
Annual Report 2011-12
Six Data Questions
1. Which piece of data makes you most proud? Explain.
2. Which piece of data is most troubling? Why?
3. Which data are you most capable of impacting? Why?
4. Which data are you least capable of impacting? Why?
5. What data would you most like to know more about?
6. What data would you like to see highlighted and explained which is typically not?
Lee’s Summit High SchoolDemographics
Student Enrollment by Ethnicity
3.90%9.34%
84.56%
3.69%10.50%
84.33%
4%11.20%
82.90%
4.50%11%
81.90%
5.10%11.30%
80.30%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12
Hispanic African-American Caucasian
Lee’s Summit High SchoolDemographics
Free and Reduced Lunches
2007-08 to 2011-12
12%
14.30%
16.70%
20% 20%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12
Attendance RateVersus Comparable Schools
Attendance Rate
90.00%
91.00%
92.00%
93.00%
94.00%
95.00%
96.00%
97.00%
Freshmen Credits
3020
135 5 13
48 9 10 16 14
20
4028
113
146
120
229239
247
0
50
100
150
200
250
LessThan 5
5 5.5 6 6.5 7 MoreThan 7.5
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12
Lee’s Summit High School College Readiness
Grad Year
Students Tested
LS MO
English LS MO
Math LS MO
Reading LS MO
Science LS MO
All SubjectsLS MO
2008
65%
47,240 81
%73%
67%
42%
68%
57%
41%
31%
34%
24%
2009
65%
46,923 82
%73%
64%
42%
68%
57%
45%
32%
39%
25%
2010
69%
48,290 85
%73%
65%
44%
70%
57%
44%
32%
39%
26%
2011
71%
48,565 84
%73%
64%
44%
74%
56%
42%
32%
37%
26%
2012
Immediate- Remaining Items
1. Is the facility clean and operational to your standard?
2. Have you set and published an accurate calendar?
3. Is information on your school web-site up to date?
4. Have you cross-referenced your master schedule against a room utilization schedule?
5. Have you estimated expenditures in key accounts?
6. Have you shared budget procedures with key managers?
7. Are bells ready to go?
After Kids Have Arrived
1. Have you planned for moving faculty/staff through performance-based evaluation?• Delegated evaluations (if possible)?• Professional Development options
2. Have you made class visits to set expectations with kids?
– Including training re: harassment, non-discrimination, grievance process
After Kids Have Arrived
Think-Pair-Share
When visiting with students via classroom visits, what items should be included on the
agenda?
After Kids Have Arrived
3. Have you met with your senior/8th grade/5th or 6th grade class as a group?
4. Have you written to parents regarding Back-to-School Night?
5. Have your safety plans been assessed, revised, and communicated?
6. Design a method to systemically recognize staff
Long Term1. If possible, avoid drastic changes in year one.2. Begin building a school portfolio.3. You must block out time for visionary planning.4. You must identify what is needed at your school
for it to improve.5. You need to move beyond a one year school
improvement plan to a five year plan.6. Create and emphasize an instructional cycle.7. Sink your teeth into at least one proven school
improvement initiative. Improve, one initiative at a time.
8. Build a varied communication plan.9. Devise a systemic method to record
thoughts/ideas
As you enter…•Take two pieces of scrap paper.
On #1, respond to three questions:–What has you most concerned regarding starting your new position?
–What immediate issues are you facing at school?
–Long term, in what area does your school need the most improvement?
On Scrap Paper #2…
•Write out any specific questions you would like addressed within this session.
Contact Information
•http://lshs.leesummit.k12.mo.us