CDEP+January+meeting+minutes

Present: Kate Clark, Andrew Davenport, Tim Wade, Jane Bullowa, Rosario Agostaro, Jackie Vannosdall, Laura Ayasse, Elizabeth Turner, Michelle Donlon -plus Shannon Van Norman, Robin Depew, and Donna Henebery

SIT Reports:

KES SIT: Shannon Van Norman, Robin DePew, Laura Ayasse and Donna Henebery Newly formed committee;11 members. Laura provided two goals to potential members of SIT. Robin said that she agreed to participate on SIT because of the goals that had been identified. Process training for SIT with Jane Bullowa. Jane is going on February 18th in the morning to follow-up with the SIT. Two co-chairs, both teachers. Roles and norms have been established for the team. The training has really helped clarify purpose and operating guidelines for the team. Representation on the team is designed to bring information back to the different constituents and bring feedback to SIT. One goal was to look at discipline which led to modifying PBIS for application at KES PBIS: took middle school's version of the behavior matrix and focused on bus, cafeteria, hallways, and classrooms/specials and recess. Bill Zimmer and some of his team members are going to KES after school on the 7th to share with SIT. Developing consistent expectations for application across the school.

One goal was to look at a homework policy: SIT began gathering information about current practices with goal of consistency.

Kate Clark talked about the importance of sustainability over time which generated discussion about the importance of sustaining the work and the mechanisms for keeping the goals in front of everyone. Michelle Donlon: The work that the SIT is doing is what KES will use as their building plan which will align with CDEP. The building report for KES at the end of the year will also include a component to showcase the work that has been done by the committee and what has been accomplished as a result of those efforts. Jane Bullowa spoke about how an emphasis on students helps sustain the work.

HS SIT: Andrew Davenport and Rosario Agostaro One of the challenges of the committee over the last two years has been to establish guidelines for operating. The team selected Rosario as the District representative for the high school. The HS SIT also struggled to identify topics that were relevant and meaningful to the committee members. The Shared-Decision Making guidelines helped clarify the purpose of the committee and potential areas of discussion. Two guiding principles this year: follow the shared decision making document purpose of the team is to improve student achievement (base decisions on information and best practices, not just a vote based upon opinions)

Established sub-committees in an effort to distribute the work load more evenly:
 * curriculum and instruction: focus on interventions; attended a conference in Tarrytown; talking about implementation in our high school
 * policies and facilities
 * communication and community involvement
 * scheduling

PGPs have been linked with some of the work of the subcommittees.

Desirable Starting Point: Three skills per discipline area that we want teachers to target for differentiation in the classroom. Data points used as measures of student success.

Ninth Grade Academy: interest in building upon the PBIS work in the middle school and extending it to the high school at least for ninth graders.

Scheduling subcommittee: skinny block added last year (39 minutes) in response to feedback from the School Quality Review through Ulster BOCES time was created in the day for teachers every other day to meet to collaborate and every other day to be available in a manner similar to office hours; this has been most successful for the Ninth Grade Academy there are differing perspectives on how the high school should be scheduled; Andrew gave the sub-committee parameters and let them take the lead on making some recommendations for scheduling formats

Communication and community involvement: Maggie Colan, Parent, working with the sub-committee to improve communication between school and home; newsletter goes home monthly; looking at website

SIT is also a forum for providing information to the team from the state and other sources

Teachers on the Ninth Grade Academy have really pushed for some of the initiatives that are in the forefront right now: collaborative periods, looking at student work and performance data, consideration of PBIS... continued discussion of factors in student success

Ninth grade teachers are even running their parent conferences based upon research.

Recommendation: When the CDEP committee receives the recommendations from the Educational Master Planning Committee, we should include the SIT committees in the planning and review process.