From the Desk of…
Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent
Updated Comprehensive School Improvement Plan
Last week we forwarded to the Board of Education an updated
Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. The Board will review
the plan at a special work session on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 5:30
p.m. at Carr Lane Auditorium, 1004 N. Jefferson Ave.
The updated plan consists of 178 individual strategic goals
aimed at:
• Improving academic achievement for all students;
• Providing safe and secure learning environments;
• Ensuring the district continues to have financial
resources sufficient to support effective educational services
and programs;
• Increasing the district’s use of technology to
streamline services and improve academics;
• Improving the district’s use of existing facilities;
• Providing professional development that increases
the competency level of teachers, administrators, and support
staff; and,
• Increasing the number of certified teachers in SLPS
classrooms.
This Comprehensive School Improvement Plan is aggressive,
but it is also a realistic roadmap to improve our schools.
The plan is aligned with state, federal, and local standards.
Further, it includes measurable goals that can be used to determine
our effectiveness.
While the CSIP is required of all Missouri school districts,
this plan is unique because it is directly linked to the Missouri
School Improvement Program (MSIP). Every strategic goal developed
in the revised St. Louis plan is directly tied to MSIP. Because
the district will be evaluated in 2009 based on the MSIP standards,
the proposed updated plan sets a course of action based on
the criteria by which the district will be judged. Additionally,
it is aligned with the federal No Child Left Behind Act and
the local Desegregation Settlement Agreement.
Highlights of the Comprehensive
School Improvement Plan include:
Academic Achievement
- Sixty-eight percent of students will score at the proficient
or advanced level on Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test;
- Sixty-four percent of students will score at the proficient
or advanced level in mathematics on the MAP test;
- Seventy-five percent of all English Language Learners, after
five years of receiving services, will score at the advanced
level on the MACII examination by 2010; and,
- The number of highly qualified teachers in the classroom
will increase significantly.
Safe and Secure Learning Environment
- All school facilities will meet a score of 85% or higher
during required building inspections.
- The number of serious incidents from behavior infractions
will be reduced by 10% each year.
Fiscal Stability
- Expenditures will not exceed revenues in any proposed budgets.
The overall deficit will be reduced by the end of the 2006-2007
school year.
- Utilization of existing facilities will be fully reviewed;
- Transportation costs per student will be kept below $13 each
month.
While Missouri law requires districts to continuously update
their CSIPs, St. Louis has not revised its plan since September
of 2004. This plan cannot sit idle on a shelf. We will continue
to modify it with new goals and strategies to move this district
forward, especially as we begin meeting our established targets.
Many staff members have been working on this plan for several
months. Every division within the school district spent considerable
time putting together goals, objectives, and action plans.
I need to especially recognize Susan Katzman, Lennise Morris,
Dr. Ruth Mach, Bill Schicht, and Pam Hartman, who worked diligently
in pulling together all of the submitted goals and objectives
into the truly comprehensive plan.
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