Susan F.

Marks Norwalk Board of Education Evaluation of the Superintendent of Schools School Year 2010-2011

June 2011

Standard #1 Leads the development, implementation, and monitoring of the school systems strategic plan that meets the Board of Educations mission, vision, goals and academic priorities Defines a comprehensive vision for the school system Works with the board of education and the community to define the strategic planning process and sets the vision for the next 3 to 5 years Fosters a shared commitment to high standards with high expectations for quality of services Conducted one retreat with the Board of Education Articulates a vision for the school district in a written document given to the Board of Education and in many PowerPoint presentations Meets with school leaders to share vision and get input on the direction of the school district Meets with office/program staff to discuss the vision for contributing to student success Solicits input from leadership staff regarding the vision for the school district Met with each principal at the beginning of the school year regarding the direction of the school district Holds regular A & S meetings to share vision and best practices for student achievement Works on aligning programs, practices and resources to support student success Reaches out to many civic organizations, PTOs, Norwalk Acts, Norwalk Community College, Health Organizations, and various Foundations Meets with various stakeholders and provided oral and written explanations regarding the direction of the school

Susan F. Marks

June 2011 district to garner support for the school district Works with National Executive Service Corps (NESC) to develop a process for strategic planning Works with GE Capital on leadership development the strategic planning process Continues collaboration with Norwalk Acts where the member organizations are focused on school district support Continues to reach out to union partners through budget, workgroups and consultations Visited each school multiple times to engage staff and community in discussions about the direction of the school district Established the superintendents portal to communicate to the community and educate the community about our school programs Works with retired businessman to develop strategies to support district improvement Develops structures to support the capacity building of all staff Initiated A & S meetings to bring all administrators together Initiated Leadership Team meetings that included key central office leaders who support our schools Initiated A & S Advisory committee to obtain input on various district decisions and also to obtain feedback on professional development Works on developing the leadership capacity of staff and stakeholders to share in the responsibility of teaching and learning Encourages staff to contact superintendent and with ideas and feedback Meets with aspiring leaders to build their capacity to be instructional leaders 2

Creates a culture and climate that nurtures and capitalizes on talents and skills of staff

Susan F. Marks

June 2011 Directed central office staff to be in the schools from the first week and throughout the school year Established multi-stakeholder workgroups on various topics to improve the functions of the school district Established a number of new processes that increases the accountability of central office Executed superintendents school visits Reaches out to all employees (first time for the superintendent of Norwalk ) o Met with leadership of First Student at the bus depot o Met with bus drivers two times during the year to share vision and the importance of every person who interacts with our students o Visited the central kitchen and met with staff to share vision for our school district in terms of supporting our schools and students o Met with central office staff o Observed several out-of-school programs

Standard #2 Creates and sustains a culture of professional growth and high expectations to achieve the outcomes identified in the school systems strategic plan

Sets high performance expectations for students and staff

Increased performance on national, state and local assessments CMT, CAPT, SAT, AP, formative assessments o Continuing to demonstrate improvements 2009-2010 results continue to show Norwalk leading is DRG o Increase in number of students in higher level classes Narrowing of the achievement gap o Improvements seen with Hispanic 3

Susan F. Marks

June 2011 students o Promotes the principle that every child can learn and succeed by ensuring that all data is disaggregated Ensures that central office evaluations are completed Works with managers to facilitate a better understanding of the scope of the work and expectations about getting the work done o Worked with unions to clarify who works when it snows Establishment of a timeline for the rollout, training plan and use of the data warehouse All CMT and CAPT data from 2006present which is auto-generated based on their current class roster (from Genesis) is posted o Data is color coded so that teachers can get an accurate picture of which students to identify strengths and weaknesses o DRA2 Scores are posted Implementation of teacher and administrator cross functional workgroups to revise systems and determine timeline and training plan o There were 16 workgroups established. Reports will be forthcoming. Ensures that all non-certificated and central office employees are evaluated on time o Evaluations are being completed for the 2010-2011 school year Assesses the status of curriculum revision, implementation and training o Curriculum roll out plan is in place (reductions from the central office may require adjustments to the plan) o Received a proposal for a curriculum audit and identifying resources to contract Phi Delta Kappa for the audit o Central office staff have attended a

Works with stakeholders to revise the teacher and administrator evaluation systems

Keeps the Board of Education informed about changes, improvements, progress and monitoring of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

Susan F. Marks

June 2011 variety of training and informative sessions on CCSS Ensures that systems are in place to monitor the fidelity of curriculum at each school o Assistant superintendent meets with specialists weekly to monitor work o Superintendent meets with Leadership Team and Assistant Superintendent regularly regarding curriculum rollouts o Have had presentations from Link It, Performance Matters and Childrens Progress. These are all data technology solutions that will make student data available to teachers and administrators o Specialists meet with teachers in instructional steering committees and works on the curriculum plan Shared pacing guides for R/LA and Mathematics Posts curriculum and common formative assessments for teachers Continues to roll out Science assessments and resource materials Determines a process to increase the number of rigorous courses in high schools o Norwalk High School and Brien McMahon have had ongoing meetings with College Board o High School Reform workgroup has identified a schedule to be piloted at Brien McMahon o Funding identified for PSAT administration in all high schools in October 2011 o Funding identified to administer the ACCUPLACER at high schools in the spring, 2011. This assessment will assist us in identifying students who need extra support before they graduate and go on to NCC Review the high school schedule and make

Susan F. Marks

June 2011 a recommendation for FY2012 o Pilot schedule will be implemented at Brien McMahon which will increase options for teacher collaboration and the implementation of higher level courses. o High School Reform workgroup will continue in 2012.

Standards #3 Leads, directs, and monitors the effective and efficient management of operations and resources aligned with the school systems strategic plan Regularly reports to the Board of Education on the status of the budget and other fiscal matters o Regular updates presented at Finance Committee and Board Meetings o Mobilizes people and coordinates the effort of staff to increase student results o New reporting templates have been developed for various information o Hard freeze was implemented to lessen the deficit in the 2010-11 budget Ensures a balanced budget o Continues to look for cost savings through renegotiation of vendor contract o Continues to develop effective processes to supervise and execute efficiencies in the central office o Identified additional savings from insurance negotiation o Implemented processes to ensure that managers are accountable for their budgets Budget reflects district goals for student achievement o This budget has no new initiatives o Reductions will impact the student achievement goals 6

Prepares, advocates for and implements an annual budgets and address district goals and meets the needs of all students

Susan F. Marks Oversees the organization and management of the districts day-to-day operations

June 2011 Meets deadlines for federal, state and local reporting o Reports have been delivered on time o Develops and supervises efficient processes in order to maximize performance o Ensures that the allocation of resources is aligned with supporting schools o Works with outside contractors to ensure there is delivery of quality of services o Supports the central office staff in responding to the needs of students, staff and community Ensures that all employees are evaluated and supervised by their managers o Evaluations are being completed Models collaborative leaderships Completes formal walkthroughs with written feedback to all principals o Completed superintendents school visits to all schools with feedback to the staff of each school o Data team visits have been completed o Welcoming walkthroughs have been completed o Academic walkthroughs have been completed Keeps the Board of Education informed about significant operational issues in a timely manner o Superintendent Updates are written weekly o Additional information is provided to the Board of Education as appropriate o Presentations at Board of Education meetings o PowerPoints are shared with the Board of Education o Serious incident are shared d to keep the Board of Education informed 7

Susan F. Marks

June 2011 Implements policies adopted by the Board of Education and develop administrative procedures to implement them o Worked with the chair of the policy committee, the policy committee and staff to update various policies Improves and establishes new procedures and processes o The following is a list of some of procedures/processes that have been revised: Review of District Profiles Workgroup processes Yearly school calendar Managerial oversight of budgets Parent and Staff surveys have been rolled out Residency process reviewed and revised Out of district process reviewed and letters and documents are standardized Magnet lottery process reviewed and letters standardized Code of conduct reviewed and revised Increases the use of technology tools (spreadsheets, scheduling software, financial software, etc.) to facilitate school operations Ensures a multi-year plan for maintenance, repairs and facility upgrades o 2011-2015 CIP has been established o Summer facilities plan developed o Processes for responding to maintenance needs has been reviewed o Facilities walkthroughs are being carried out

Prepares long/short term projects for facility needs of the district through the Capital Budget process

Susan F. Marks

June 2011

Standard #4 Ensures and demonstrates collaboration with stakeholders including, staff, students, families community members, business partners, and community agencies Communicates to and responds to staff and community and ensures adherence and appropriate response through the chain of command Ensures that communication is timely o Regular communications to all staff and stakeholders through use of email and website o Delegates and empowers staff to make decisions o Leads by example in responding promptly to school and community requests o Ensures that office/program staff communicate effectively with stakeholders o Increases collaborative partnerships (out-of school providers, private donors, etc). to strengthen programs o Works to increase the representation of stakeholders on workgroups and in meetings o Holds meetings at times and locations that make the meetings accessible to participants, i.e. late afternoon and evenings o Disaggregates as much data as possible o Collaborates with other school districts about possible grants and shared programs o Works with outside groups to pilot programs (Currently working with Margie Gillis on a pilot option) Utilizes a variety of communication formats and increase the use of technology o Parent and staff survey developed and implemented o Mini -survey used about calendar o Use of district wide calling system for a variety of announcements including weather related announcements and reminders o Increased use of website to disseminate information about curriculum, instruction and 9

Susan F. Marks

June 2011 assessment Increases information on school districts website o Superintendents portal developed o Survey portal developed o Web site areas have been redesigned to communicate important information Fosters a positive working relationships with the employee unions, business partners and community agencies o Invited stakeholders to be on committees o Meets with various community funders and agencies (Partial list) All NEF funders Editorial board of The Hour Fairfield County Community Foundation Whitcomb Foundation NCF board and funders NCC GE Capital Pepperidge Farm Health and human services NAACP Parent Leadership Institute Follows the agreed upon board of education and superintendent guidelines o Attended board meetings o Developed agendas with board chair o Held one retreat with Board of Education members o Assigned liaisons to Board subcommittees o Responds to Board of Education questions o Posts budget documents on website Represents the district to the community o Attends many activities in the evening and weekends o Attends PTO meetings o Participates in Norwalk Acts o Collaborated on a number of projects with Norwalk Community 10

Works in a professional manner with the Board of Education, community members and media

Susan F. Marks

June 2011 College o Collaborated with Horizons camp to provide better articulation for our students o Participated on the Mayors Taskforce to end Homelessness o Was chosen to be participate on a Think Tank on Reducing Drop Out Rates o Participated on national panel on STEM Education Made presentations at many PTO meetings, civic organizations, business partners, foundations and other venues Invited to and attends many citywide activities Participates in the Urban Superintendents Network Collaborates with CABE and CAPSS

Demonstrates the ability to interact effectively with individuals and groups within and outside the school district to accomplish the goals of the district

Standard #5 Models professionalism and professional growth that supports a culture of continuous improvement Maintains high standards of ethics, honesty and integrity in all professional matters Demonstrates core values and beliefs in formal and informal settings Upholds confidentiality standards of staff, students and families o Works with departments and offices to protect confidentiality Praises staff for ethical actions and positive character traits o Sent multiple communications to NPS staff to honor their commitment to our students Models lifelong learning and encourages life-long learning in others o Met with NPS administrators who want to have completed the Urban Leadership Training o Mentors APs who aspire to be principals o Participates in the Connecticut Superintendents Network o Shares current and pertinent articles with employees

11

Susan F. Marks

June 2011 o Attended the American Association for School Administrators (AASA) national conference o Attended the CABE/CAPSS annual conference o Participates in the southern Fairfield County Superintendents Group Communicates key beliefs about students, families and community members o These beliefs are: Learning is important All students can learn We must not give up on students and their learning Effective effort leads to student achievement Meets professional obligations and comes to and begins meetings on time Promotes and develops ways to find common ground in dealing with difficult and divisive issues o Works with various Foundations to bring various groups together o Consults with experts to increase problem solving strategies Utilizes strategies that are inclusive and ensures stakeholders are involved in cross functional workgroups o Increased opportunities for collaboration o Initiated cross-functional workgroups on pertinent school district processes o Initiated an administrators advisory committee o Spoke and attended numerous PTO meetings and collaborated with PTO leadership Displays respectful behaviors to all groups Listens to and acts constructively on staff and stakeholder concerns Assigned liaisons from central office to various projects and activities Develops a comprehensive plan of professional development for the district

Maintains civility and exhibits diplomacy in the full range of professional activities

Ensures the use of best practices (researchbased knowledge) related to learning,

12

Susan F. Marks teaching, student development, organizational development and data management for optimize learning for all students

June 2011 based on the school district plan Supports the use of data warehouse tools o All CMT and CAPT data from 2006-present which is autogenerated based on their current class roster (from Genesis) o data is color coded so that teachers can get an accurate picture of which students are weak in which areas and which areas are weak overall DRA2 Scores are included Investigating other off the shelf data collection programs

Standard #6 Understands, responds to and influences the larger political, social, economic, legal and cultural environments that impact the school system Is a strong advocate for public education Is visible in the community and participates on various workgroups and boards Engages in business, civic and community activities to further understand the political and social life of the community Confers with students to learn about student issues and concerns o Held several focus groups with students at Brien McMahon and Norwalk HS o Visited all schools and interacted with many students o Met with students from Brien McMahon social justice group Participates actively in community life and affairs o Attends community activities often o Acquiring and applying knowledge of policies, regulations, procedures and laws o Collaborates with elected officials Participates in local, state and national professional associations and organizations to enhance understanding of public education Delegates staff to participate in local and state task forces/workgroups Advocates on behalf of students, staff, and families for necessary resources and 13

Susan F. Marks

June 2011 programs to support the goals and objectives of the schools system Participated in South Norwalk Public Library Educational series Engaged in the collaborative that is suing the state, CCJEF vs. Rell regarding equitable funding Involvement of stakeholders in working on district issues is encouraged and promoted Understands the implications of federal and state mandates Expanding personal knowledge and develops abilities to respond to the changing conditions that affect the workplace and the school system Works with stakeholders to develop appropriate strategies for implementing work Speaks at various community and civic groups to share vision for the school district Communicates knowledge of the budget process and its impact on school district initiatives and activities to stakeholders o Works with stakeholders to foster their understanding and knowledge of the district Represents the interests of NPS when engaging with local, state, national and governmental groups/agencies Establishes a cooperative relationship with the media o Invited media to meet regularly o Utilized press releases for a variety of school district activities o Highlights positive school activities in print media and on the web Led the Norwalk Teacher of the Year initiative to highlight the work of our teachers Encouraged the recognition of all staff through local and organizations

Demonstrates the ability to understand the big picture and effectively interacts with groups to accomplish goals

Promotes positive public relations and a positive image of the school system

14