Federal &

State
Mandates
Local Needs
Assessment
Mission &
Core Values
District
Improvement
Plan
Mission, Vision and Core
Values of Strategic Plan
provide the structure
Seeks to provide district
road map
Informs development of
school and educator
plans
Living Document
Strategic Plan
5 Year
District Improvement Plan
3 Year
School Improvement Plan
2 Year
Educator Plans
RTTT Race to the Top Grant Commitments
Adoption of Common Core Standards
Transition from MCAS to PARCC Assessments
Implementation of a new Educator Evaluation Model
Beginning in FY12 RTTT Districts Implemented New
standards with performance rubrics
Upcoming:
Utilization of student growth scores
State MCAS/PARCC
Local District Determined Measures
Need to be developed locally in compliance with state
guidelines
Federal & State Implementation
Common Core Standards
Local Need Assessment
Reaching All Learners
State Implementation
Educator Evaluation Model
State Assessment Mandates
PARCC & DDMS
District Improvement
Plan
Common Core Standards District Improvement Plan
Educator Evaluation Model PARCC & DDMS
Teaching All
Learners
District Improvement Plan
School Improvement Plan
Admin Educator Plan s
Team Goal
Using adaptive methods to
build staff capacity,
program & systems to
support the teaching all
learners
Teacher Educator Plans
Teacher Leader Team Goals
DDMs & Differentiation
Classroom Teacher
Differentiated Learning
Technology Integration
Support
All PD aims to support the
implementation of the
collective goals.
Focus
All support skill development to
meet needs of varied learners
Assessment Training to support
DDMs Development
RtI Training in Tiered Instruction
Differentiation Instruction
Understanding learning
styles/disabilities
Co-Teaching
Delivery Systems
Power Wednesdays
Full/Half Curriculum Days
MERSD-U
Regional Collaborative Partners
Regional STEM
Salem State / Endicott College
DIP = District Improvement Plan
SIP = School Improvement Plan
RTTT = Race to the Top
PARCC =Partnership for Assessment of Readiness
for College and Careers
Ed Evaluation Model
Common Core Standards
DDMs District Determined Measures
21
st
Century Skills
Differentiated Instruction
Shifting from building foundations for change to implementing the
vision.
Significant progress toward our goal of reaching all learners
Established a foundation from which to move forward in better
serving the needs of the whole child.
Forward Thinking Growth Mindset
Cohesion of the leadership team focused goal setting, capacity
building, and improvement
Cultivating an environment that facilitates the increasing pace of
change in education
Institutionalized practices of seeking efficiencies and short and long-
term fiscal responsibility
Highlights
Increased alignment and collaboration around shared vision
Success at Reaching all Learners
Increased opportunities for middle child
PD aligned with district goals and focused on differentiation of instruction
Specialized program development to reach broad array of learning needs
Programs are financially beneficial to the district
Student Achievement continues to improve
Traditional Measures: MCAS, AP, SAT, College Admissions
Non-Traditional: Athletics, Arts, Humanities
Implementation of RtI Shows positive gains
Cohort growth by grade level
Reduction of referrals
Highlights
Long-term budget planning is in place
Roadmap to address long-term liabilities
Multi-Year budget projections allow us to plan more effectively
Annual process for identifying efficiencies/cost savings
Strong Community Partnerships developing
Regional, State, and National Recognition of MERSD
programs
Areas of Focus FY15
Integration of 21
st
Century Skills into core curriculum
Further instill a philosophy of inclusion, tolerance, and
cultural awareness among students and staff
Continue to expand capacity to reach all learners
Continue to explore efficiencies, reorganizations, cost
cutting measures
Gauge support of community for funding adjustment to
maintain class size and keep core program intact
Areas of Concern
Social/Emotional Health of our Students
Structural budgetary deficit
State mandates impact on time and resources
create distraction/interference with local goals
PARCC Determination/Conversion
RETELL / WIDA
MKEA K Universal Testing
District Determined Measures
Teacher Evaluation External Inputs
Facilities Condition and Impact on Program
Sustainability of breadth of programming
Maritime Gloucester Working waterfront museum, provides curriculum extensions to
grades 3-5 in the district: http://maritimegloucester.org/
Primary Source K-12 History and humanities PD partner -
http://primarysource.org/about-us
Museum of Science Professional development supporter for STEM we are Gateway
members: http://legacy.mos.org/nctl/k12_gateway.php
NSCC College partner helping us to develop a dual enrollment program. MERSD is the
lead school district on this project: (see attached)
NCSD Professional development provider - http://www.mec.edu/professional-
development
Applied Materials, Axcelis, Analogic, Abiomed, Cell Signaling North Shore STEM Industry
partner who have provided site visits and both in-kind an monetary support to teachers in
our district (and many districts on the North Shore)
Gordon College Student teaching partnership
Endicott College MERSDu Partnership
Northeast Regional Readiness Center Serves as a PD clearinghouse for all major state
and federal education initiatives (MKEA, RETELL, PARCC, Ed Eval, DDMs, etc, etc, etc) -
http://www.salemstate.edu/academics/schools/9444.php
General Education
Multi-tier approach to the identification and support
of students with learning and behavior needs.
Assessment driven
Struggling learners are provided with interventions at
increasing levels of intensity to accelerate their rate
of learning.
Services provided by a variety of personnel, including
general education teachers, special educators, and
specialists.
Progress monitoring to assess both the learning rate
and level of performance of individual students.
Educational decisions about the intensity and
duration of interventions are based on individual
student response to instruction.
Tier 3
Intensive Intervention
Tier 2
First Level Intervention
Small Group /Tutoring / Learning Ctr .
Tier 1
General Classroom
School Year Essex Memorial Middle School High School
2011-2012 36 52 54 74
2012-2013 38 62 46 67
2013-2014 27 47 51 59
School/Level Initial Evaluations
FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014*
PK 9 7 9
PK - Therapies only 11 4 0
EES 17 15 8
MMES 14 27 8
MS 9 6 8
HS 10 4 0
Total 70 63 33
Enrollment District Rate State Rate State Target
Enrolled students with IEPs 219 -- -- --
Full Inclusion (inside the general
education classroom 80% or more of the
day)
172 78.5 % 59.2 % 59.7%
Partial Inclusion (inside the general
education classroom 40%-79% of the day)
19 8.7 % 18.8 % --
Substantially Separate (inside the general
education classroom less than 40% of the
day)
9 4.1 % 15.0 % 14.5%
Separate Schools, Residential Facilities, or
Homebound/Hospital placements (does
not include parentally-placed private
school students with disabilities)
19 8.7 % 6.9 % 5.5%
Kindergarten
Academic Area Conditions Behavior Criterion
Letter Naming
Fluency
In (# of weeks), when given a
randomly selected probe from the
Letter Naming Fluency subtest
Student will name (number of) letters
correct per minute
Below
Average
Average Above
Average
Fall 8% 63% 29%
Winter 7% 43% 50%
3
rd
Grade
Academic Area Conditions Behavior Criterion
CBM MAZE In (# of weeks), when given a
randomly selected probe from
(level) of the CBM MAZE subtest,
Student will select (number of) correct
words in 3 minutes
Below
Average
Average Above
Average
Fall
26% 39% 35%
Winter
13% 47% 40%
5
th
Grade
Academic Area Conditions Behavior Criterion
Oral Reading
Fluency
In (# of weeks), when given a
randomly selected probe from
(level) of the Oral Reading Fluency
subtest,
Student will read aloud (number of) words
correct words per
minute
Below
Average
Average Above
Average
Fall
14% 49% 37%
Winter
10% 50% 40%
FY12 FY 13 FY 14
Central Office Admin Assistant
Reorganization
Elimination of PK Director
MHS Psych/Team Chair
Restructure
Elementary Guidance/Psych
Reorganization
MS/HS Admin Staff Restructure
Examined/Resolved Cost
Benefit of MHS principal
structure
Consolidate PreK
Utilization of Building Use
Revenue to offset Facilities
Support Staff
Outsourcing of Elem. Evening
Custodial (4 layoffs)
Teacher Reduction thru
attrition FTE (2.0)
Elimination financial support
for out of state student travel
10% Reduction in Supplies
Budgets
Increase Athletics Fees
Introduction of Transportation
Fee
Investments Yield Operational Efficiencies and Financial Returns
FY12 FY13 FY14
Aspen X2 Facilities Upgrades to Memorial
School
Security Upgrade of Elementary
School
CIC Grant Revenues $250,000 yielding $650, 000 in cost avoidance
What They Are
National Curriculum Standards
Adopted by 45 States & DC
Accepted by MA as part RTTT
Rigorous
build on content structure of MA Frameworks
ELA: Increased focus on Non-fiction text / conceptual
understanding /evidence based support in reading,
writing, and speaking
MATH: requires introduction of algebra at earlier grade
level
HOTS Higher Order Thinking Skills
Implementation:
Ensure Educator Understanding of shifts in standards
Realignment of resources with the standards.
Transform principals into instructional leaders.
Design PD based on input from educators
Maximize opportunities for collaboration and capacity
building through professional learning.
Engage higher-education partners.
Understand and plan for the coming common
assessments
Adopt technology with the priority being to meet teaching
and learning and facilitating online assessments
It is being proposed as the replacement for MCAS.
Not yet been adopted by the state board of education
Vote in Fall 2015
It is aligned with the Common Core, but it is not part
of or required by the Common Core.
It is currently in its beta stage (tryout).
It is a multi-state test which includes accepted
assessment benchmarks that identify College
Readiness. MCAS is used a determinant for
graduation.
For example: Under PARRCC a high school junior will take and end-
of-year assessment in Math/ELA and receive a College and Career
Ready determination that indicates they are academically prepared to
enroll in first-year, credit-bearing courses at two- and four-year
institutions and can be exempt from taking a placement test at the
college or university they attend.
In theory
PARCC will better measure students critical-thinking and problem-
solving skills and their ability to communicate clearly.
PARCC will produce more timely results for school districts and
educators to help in planning and tailoring instruction for students in
the coming year.
PARCC will assess writing at all grades levels; MCAS currently only
assesses writing in grades 4, 7, and 10
PARCC assessments will be given twice per year (March & May).
The only PARCC assessments currently being field tested are Math and ELA
4-10.
Eventually it will span 3-11.
There is discussion of implementing at grades K-2
PARCC does not currently have a science assessment. MCAS science would
continue.
PARCC does not currently have tests that meet all Special Education
accommodation requirements.
And, there is no Alternative test available or planned. DESE intends to
continue with MCAS Alt.
PARCC will be a computer-based test, though a paper-and-pencil
version will be available at the outset; MCAS is only a paper-and-
pencil test;
Writing samples will be scored electronically
PARCC will allow us to compare student performance in
Massachusetts to student performance in other states that also
take PARCC; MCAS is a custom test that only Massachusetts
students take.
1. Core Subjects (the 3 Rs) and 21st Century Themes
2. Learning and Innovation Skills
Creativity and Innovation
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Communication and Collaboration
3. Information, Media and Technology Skills
Information Literacy
Media Literacy
ICT Literacy
4. Life and Career Skills
Translation
Classic High Order Thinking Skills synthesis, analysis,
judgment, critical thinking, problem solving
Why they are being labeled 21st Century
Shift in workplace needs from 20
th
century
SCANS Report 2000 - Secretary's Commission on Achieving
Necessary Skills
MCAS and Achievement Testing Focus
Fewer workplace options for individuals trained solely in
following direction, performing routines, rote practices
(industrial workers)
Knowledge Industry
Have always been markers of success
Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet
individual needs.
Use of ongoing assessment to identify needs.
Examples: differentiate content, flexible grouping process, products,
or the learning environment,
Differentiation consists of the efforts of teachers to
respond to variance among learners in the classroom.
Whenever a teacher reaches out to an individual or small
group to vary his or her teaching in order to create the
best learning experience possible, that teacher is
differentiating instruction.
.
What It Is:
Revised state wide evaluation model
Based on continual improvement model
Components:
Four Common Standards for all levels of Educators
Cycle of Goal setting / Data Collection / Portfolio Review
Observation / Collaboration / Reflection
Rubrics:
Classroom Teacher
Specialist/Caseload Teacher
Nurse
Principals
District Level Admin
Common Standards
Teaching Faculty
I: Instructional Leadership
II: Teaching All Students
III: Family and Community
Engagement
IV: Professional Culture
Admin Faculty
I: Instructional Leadership
II: Management & Operations
III: Family and Community
Engagement
IV: Professional Culture
Self Assessment
Rubrics/Goals
Goal Setting
Plan
Development
Implementation
of Plan
Mid-Cycle
Review
Summative
Principal Inputs:
Observation
Portfolio Review
Assessment of
performance against
rubric
Attainment of Goals
Self Assessment
Future Inputs
Student Growth
Scores (State / Local)
Community Input
Individualized
Aligned w/district
and school
Improvement goals
School /District
Supports
PD
Feedback
Coaching
Superintendent
Self-Assessment done with
end of year goal assessment
Revision of Goals over summer
/ align with SC/District Goals
Superintendent Goals
1Professional Practice
1 Student Learning
2-4 District Improvement
Goals
Mid-Year Review First February
Meeting
Portfolio/Evidence Submitted
to SC end of April
Self Re-
Assessment
Rubrics/Goals
Goal Setting
Plan
Development
Implementation
of Plan
Mid-Cycle
Review
Summative
Self Assessment
Rubrics/Goals
Goal Setting
Plan
Development
Implementation
of Plan
Mid-Cycle
Review
Summative
SC Inputs:
Observation
Assessment of
performance against
rubric
Attainment of Goals
Portfolio Review
Self Assessment
Future Inputs
Student Growth
Scores (State / Local)
Community Input
Individualized but
Aligned w/district &
SC Improvement
goals
What They Are:
Common assessments
All subject areas all grade levels
Administered periodically throughout the year
Why We Are Developing Them:
Required by MA Department of Education
FY14 Study and Pilot Year
Full Implementation by 2016
Progress Monitor Student Growth
Data for Standard II in Educator Evaluation